It was just a few drinks
by MuffledSnickers
Summary: Rogue finds herself caught up in a vengeful scheme as she's kidnapped. On the journey, enemies become friends as the mutants, together, are thrown into a chaotic situation that nobody could have predicted. JohnPietroRemyRogueWanda centric, and other XMen
1. Cajun

Rogue was intoxicated. It was only hours ago that Bobby had finally come up to her and broke it off for good. Rogue had been aware of his infidelities for some time, but she'd been too scared to mention it to him. She was afraid of losing the only one who had looked past her mutation and started a relationship with her, afraid of how Kitty, her roommate, would react to her if she knew Rogue had known about her, afraid of being alone…again.

Rogue had fled the mansion nearly in tears. She had held up a soft face for Bobby, accepting in front of him, even agreeing. But once he had left the room, she quickly crawled out the window and jumped down onto her sill ledge. From there, it hadn't been hard to jump to the nearest tree and slide down its trunk. She didn't particularly know how she'd ended up at the bar; it had to be a little bit of Logan's fault, for that's how he always drowned out his worries and sorrows, but there she was all the same.

Having never particularly gone out drinking before, she had no resistance to the alcohol. She had quickly become drunk without even realizing it, so buried in her own thoughts. The alcohol tasted vile and wrong, her system rejected its unwanted entry into her body. After awhile, her thoughts started to thin out and blur, so that she couldn't consecutively concentrate on one thing. No thinking, no noisy psyches, for once; all her problems simply evaporated into the air. She was dazed and unaware, nothing mattered. It was a feeling she liked.

Her hands shook as she set down her fifth glass. "Cahn Ah…" Rogue slightly raised her hand, wavering on the stool as she spoke. Her words were slurred together; her native southern accent was thick in her mouth. "Cahn Ah have 'nother please…" Nobody seemed to hear her; the bartender was fixing someone else's drink. Rogue slouched in her seat, resting her head against the countertop. It felt so good to feel nothing, why hadn't she ever done this before? Oblivion was a wonderful feeling.

A figure plopped down in the seat right next to her, cutting off her sideways view of the bartender. "Absol Reldy Vodka, unaltered." The bartender looked up from his customer and moved over to the new man. Rogue frowned as she saw the bartender move into view again, serving the man beside her. As he began to pour the man's drink, Rogue weakly held out her empty bottle.

"Ah want some." She directed at the bartender, looking straight at him. The bartender seemed to ignore her. The man beside her glanced over her way and flashed a smile.

"An' one fo' de lady." Giving Rogue a doubtful glance, the bartender began pouring her drink. Rogue frowned at the man and glared when he turned his head down, the man beside Rogue chuckled.

"Dey usually serve de regulars above others. Y' have t' be a little louder dan dat t' get what y' want, _chere._"

Rogue took her gaze away from the bartender and slowly turned her head to look at the man next to her. He was quite a sight, even in her blurred vision. The contours of his high cheekbones were pronounced in all the right ways, his jawbone was strongly cut, narrow, but not too prominent. Lean, but muscular arms stretched taught against the white shirt he wore. His shirt fell just right against his stomach, so that Rogue could see the outline of his abs quite clearly. His wavy, brown hair swayed with the wind whenever the door opened or closed, passing over his eyes. Or rather, his sunglasses. Rogue couldn't be sure what color his eyes were, but she imagined they were just as beautiful as the rest of him.

"Thank ya…" Rogue slurred dizzily. The bartender dropped her drink down in front of her and she grabbed for it unsteadily.

The man smiled wider and held out his hand. "Remy LeBeau, at y' service."

Rogue reached for his hand, missed once, then grabbed it on the second try, a little off to the side. "Rogue."

Remy didn't even blink at the name. "Remy couldn't help but notice," He began, speaking in third person, "But y' look a little drunk dere, _cherie._ Y' sure y' want dat drink?"

Rogue possessively brought her drink closer and waved him off airily. "Ah'm not drunk." At his curved smile, she added. "Okay, jus' a little tipsy. But Ah'm fahne." To emphasize her point, Rogue took a large gulp of the drink in front of her. It burned down her throat and her head swam. Rogue tried to sit up and nearly fell off her stool before Remy caught her arm and hoisted her back upright.

"Y' way passed de buzz state," He picked up his drink and downed it, quickly followed was Rogue's drink. Rogue weakly protested, but she could barely even sit up straight. He easily wiggled it out of her hand and downed it. "Time fo' y' t' go home, _cherie._ Y' too cute fo' a place like dis, underage too, s'far as Remy can tell."

"Ya…ya drank maw drink." Rogue protested, still not over the fact. Remy chuckled and pulled her to her feet. She swayed unsteadily and nearly fell into Remy. Remy grabbed her around the shoulders and pulled her into his chest so she could support herself against him. Rogue leaned against him and her arms flew around his middle. Absently inhaling his scent, she lazily grinned. He smelled of spicy Cajun food mixed with a tinge of alcohol that he'd just consumed. Remy's smile was firmly fixed in place as he paid the bartender.

Remy lightly put a hand on Rogue's shoulder and, despite the warmth from her body, he steered her in the other direction. Somewhat reluctantly, Rogue pulled away from him and, with Remy's guided help, she steered herself to the door. Almost throwing herself upon it, her hands seemed to roam the whole door before finding the knob. She turned it and fell out the door.

Rogue was met with a puddle of sloppy, wet mud. Her upper thigh had smashed down harshly against the raised doorway; she could already feel the bruises forming. She groaned inwardly as two hands grabbed her shoulders and hoisted her up. Remy propped her up in his arms, carrying her sideways, like a little child. "Drivin' may not be de best idea fo' y',"

Rogue's head lolled again and she curled up against his chest, barely aware of the pouring rain that made his white shirt see-through or of the fact that she was getting mud all over his shirt. She just wanted to sleep. "Ah didn' drive." Rogue commented absently, not really sure what that had to do with anything.

"Y' walked here?" Remy asked, confused. Rogue nodded, but it just made her dizzier so she stopped quickly.

"Yeah…"

"Well, _chere,_ where do y' live?"

Rogue scrunched her forehead, trying to think. Nothing came up. "Ah-Ah dunno."

Rogue couldn't see his face, due to her head being buried in his chest and her eyes closed, but Remy's smile widened even more. "Y' want t' go back t' Remy's place?"

Rogue couldn't think. Nothing mattered, just as long as she could curl up someplace soft, like Remy's chest, and sleep. She felt so sick, she just wanted her bliss. "Mmmhmmm,"

Remy carried her over to the side of the bar and stopped in front of a bike. "Now _chere, _since y' so 'tipsy' as y' say, y' goin' t' sit in front, so y' don' fall off, _oui?_"

Rogue's eyebrows crossed, confused. "We?" Remy took that as confirmation and gently straddled her against the bike. He sat down behind her and pulled her into him, making sure that she didn't tilt. With that, he kicked the bike to life and with a roar, they were off.

Rogue blinked wearily as the ground began to spin away. The fast bike was only making her more nauseous, jouncing this way and that. She slumped forward, only held up by Remy's arm around her waist. He was driving one-handed. The fact should have scared her, but she was too beyond thoughts to even notice.

The motorcycle pulled into a new spot and stopped. Remy hopped off and pulled her off before she fell. "Can y' walk yet o' no?"

Rogue staggered, "Remy…Ah feel sick."

"Y' be fine, _chere._ Y' need t' throw up?"

"No."

"Den let's go. Come on, Remy'll carry y'." With that, he picked Rogue up off her feet again and made his way into the house. Rogue was too drunk to appreciate the beauty and vastness of his house, or to wonder how one such person could afford such a huge home. He carried her into his bedroom and gently rolled her into his bed. It sloshed under her, wavily moving, it was a waterbed. "Y' need some dry clothes, _cherie._"

He disappeared from view for a minute and reappeared with an armful of clothes that he deposited on the bed. "Remy'll be right outside de door." He disappeared again. Slowly, Rogue crawled across the mattress to the foot of the bed, no easy feet in itself. The bed swayed, making her fall once into its squishy covers. She finally reached the pile and began removing her soaked shirt. It clung to her body, but Rogue managed to pull it off and drop it on the floor. She grabbed Remy's shirt and pulled it over her head. It was slightly too big, but snuggly for just being a V-neck undershirt. Her jeans followed in the same fashion and she pulled on a pair of boxers. She even removed her gloves, tucking them neatly on top of the pile. Once all the necessary clothes had been changed, she struggled to make her way back to the top of the bed and fell into the pillow.

Two minutes later, the door hesitantly opened. "Hey, _fille, _dere be no other beds open…" he looked at Rogue's frame and saw she was sound asleep. Carefully shutting the door behind him, he picked up her wet clothes and draped them over the drying rack in the bathroom. Remy glanced back at Rogue. "Ah, Remy see dat y' leave him a spot." He jumped in the bed beside her. "Dank y'." For a long while, Remy just watched her. Her chest rose and fell evenly, her eyes remained shut. She looked so peaceful. The wind from the open window blew a strand of hair across her face. Remy reached out and pushed it aside, and then let his hand linger on his cheek. Her face was so soft, she looked so innocent…

Something tugged at Remy from inside. He ignored it, figuring the alcohol was losing its buzz. He gently stroked her cheek as the tugging grew stronger. Suddenly, Remy wasn't feeling so great. His energy seemed to be…disappearing? Rogue's veins showed up deeply in her angelic face. The world grew dim and Remy fell into unconsciousness. His hand limply fell away from Rogue's face. Both lay there, unconscious and not knowing the consequences of the next morning.

**Rogue's head hurt.** As she bridged the move from unconsciousness to semi-consciousness, that's what she first became aware of. It felt like someone was pounding away at her skull with a sledgehammer. The more she awoke, the worse it became. Rogue groaned and rolled over, trying to get a more comfortable position.

Thoughts floated through her mind aimlessly, confusing her yet further. Many women passed her closed eyes, women she didn't know and had never seen before. Unconsciously, she licked her lips. There were other thoughts too. Thoughts of the south, of the guild she missed so much. Especially Bella. And the X-Mansion, that was scheduled for today…Rogue was confused. She didn't know a Belladonna and she most certainly wouldn't be getting married to another woman. She swallowed and opened her eyes.

The light stung her eyes, but she didn't even notice. Not four inches from her face was that of a handsome young man. His hand lay outstretched, even closer to her face than his face was. Rogue screamed and rolled the other way, falling off the bed with a thump. Her yelling seemed to rouse the young man.

"Remy didn't do it…" He mumbled as he opened his eyes. He saw Rogue's crumpled form on the floor and yawned. "Hey _cherie,_ interestin' night, don' y' think?"

Rogue stared at the man in horror and then looked down at herself, dressed in his light t-shirt and boxers. She screamed again and crossed her legs, grabbing the blanket from the floor and holding it up to her chin. "Wh-Who are y'?" A mix of her southern twang and his accent colored her words. "What did y' do ta meh?!"

Remy lifted his eyes to her face and his jaw grew slack. "_Chere, _y' eyes!"

Rogue backed away until her back hit the wall. It was then she became aware of a tingling sensation in her fingers. It was an ache, almost, nervous energy filled her body. As soon as she noticed it, the blanket in her fingers started to glow magenta. Panicking, she threw it down and edged away from it.

Remy's eyes bulged, not that she could see behind his glasses. He jumped forward and touched the blanket. Immediately, the magenta glow disappeared into his fingers.

Rogue's eyes were fixed on him in terror. She was trembling, her expression fearful, her hands shook. The energy in her fingers begged to be released, almost to the point of hurting. Her head pounded. The other thoughts made sense now, they were his. She tried hard to remember what had happened last night, but she couldn't. If she had his thoughts and was wearing his clothes and woke up in his bed, they…

Rogue crumpled to the floor as if someone had jabbed the back of her knees. She began to sob into her hands. She didn't know how the man, Remy, had did it, but it appeared more than likely that they had.

Something gently touched her shoulder and Rogue fell back, wrenching herself away. "Don' touch meh!" She cried out, hostile and afraid. She wiped away at her tears with the back of her hand and looked to the side, unable to look at Remy's face. "Where are mah clothes?" She sniffed, closing her eyes once more and swallowing thickly.

Remy stared at Rogue, befuddled. He was confused as to how she had his power and his eyes, or why she was crying. "In de bathroom." He pointed to the adjoining room.

Rogue felt sick to her stomach. She felt like a low life slut; she had degraded herself to a one-nighter with a guy she had met last night. She didn't even know how it happened, couldn't even remember any part of it at all.

Rogue scampered off into the bathroom and promptly emptied her stomach in the toilet. It did nothing to make her feel better. She washed her face and finally lifted her eyes to the mirror.

Two unfamiliar red-on-black orbs stared back at her. She gasped and nearly fell back, surprised and frightened. They must have been Remy's eyes. Rogue took her gaze away from the mirror. Her thighs hurt. A small, doubting little voice in the back of her mind told her something was wrong. Careful to keep in her aching fingers energy, she lifted the bottom of her shorts. Black and blue bruises stared back at her, as if mocking her. Appalled, Rogue turned and her eyes fell upon the small countertop. Her clothes were laid out; sopping wet from something Rogue didn't even want to think about. Everything was against her. Rogue turned and left, leaving her clothes on the countertop.

The tears had returned to her eyes. Her fingers still ached terribly, as did the rest of her body. Remy stood in the doorway, blocking the exit of that horrible bedroom. Rogue couldn't look at him. "Cahn…Cahn y' let meh go, please?" Her voice still wasn't completely her own. She'd have to file away Remy's personality later.

Remy stared at the girl in wonder. "What's wrong _chere?_ Why y' goin' all shy on Remy?"

His endearments only scarred her further, pushing the knife deeper through her heart. More tears fell. "Please?" Remy stepped aside. Rogue passed without even glancing at him.

Rogue was distraught. She held her arms close to her body, afraid of accidentally touching anyone. She had left her gloves on top of the pile of clothes. It was too late to go back now. Rogue was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't see the next person step in front of her. She collided into him painfully and fell back on her butt.

"Rogue?!"

Rogue's tearstained gaze lifted to the speaker's face. "John?" John gasped and stepped back at the sight of her eyes. Suddenly, his expression darkened as he viewed her clothes, her shaking frame, and her eyes.

"You stay there." He ordered. Rogue watched him look up. "REMY!" Remy glanced at John with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

John dove at Remy and tackled him to the ground. He got in one good punch before Remy turned the tables around and ended up pinning John beneath him. John was fuming. "You stupid, good for nothing retarded thief of a Cajun! Do you know who that is?! You fu-"

"Calm down, _homme! _Dat's jus' de _fille _Remy picked up at de bar yesterday. She passed out; Remy didn't do anythin' with her."

Rogue snapped to alertness. "Ya-Ah mean, we didn'…ya know, we didn't do…anythin'?"

"Call Remy ol' fashion, _chere,_ but Remy prefers de _fille _t' be conscious."

Rogue sighed deeply in relief and lay down. "Thank God." She closed her eyes, resting for a minute, before she thought of something. Her eyes shot open again. "But then, y'-ya touched meh! Why did y' touch meh? How did Ah get here? Why am Ah in ya clothes? Why…why am Ah bruised?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, _cherie, _calm down! One question at a time. Y' were drunk last night, 'member?" Rogue gave him a confused look. Remy sighed. "Y' were drunk an' could barely walk. Remy asked where y' lived so he could take y' home, but y' didn't know, so Remy took y' here. Y' fell on de way, dat's where y' got bruised an' y' changed into Remy's clothes 'cause y' were wet."

Rogue frowned. "That doesn't tell meh why y' touched meh."

Remy grinned. "Was jus' movin' y' hair out o' y' face. Y' touch is a pretty harsh biter. Remy fell unconscious next t' y'."

Something seemed to hit John. "Jesus, she touched you!"

The same thing seemed to occur to Rogue at the same minute. "Y' were gunna kidnap meh!" She looked directly at John and gasped. Rogue scrambled to her feet and made a mad dash for the door.

John roughly pushed Remy off him and jumped up after her. Before Rogue could even get to the door or John could get to her, she collided into another person who had come out of nowhere. It was all a blur to her, only seconds after she'd hit the floor she was pinned beneath the other boy. "It's okay," The white-haired kid called out, "I've got her." His knees were widespread across her arms, preventing any feisty arm movements. Rogue was at least glad to see that he was wearing jeans, she felt too exposed in Remy's short sleeved t-shirt and boxer shorts.

Rogue knew him from Remy's memories only. His name was Pietro, and other than that, she couldn't really draw any conclusions. He was lean, like Remy, but not as grown or matured as him. He looked like a protesting teenager. Completely white hair was slicked back with many layers of gel. "Another wild girl, Remy?"

Rogue struggled, but couldn't get her arms free from under his weight. Grunting with the effort, because she was neither as flexible as Kitty or as slight, she threw her unhindered legs back at an unnatural angel and wound them around Pietro's stomach. Groaning in pain, she gritted her teeth and launched her legs forward with all the strength she could muster.

Pietro didn't exactly fly head over heels as the move was supposed to make him, but he did teeter and fall to the side. Rogue's legs and already bruised thighs screamed in protest. Rogue had almost gotten to her feet by the time John mauled her over. She was pinned to the floor again, only on her stomach this time, with her hands tightly held around her back and with Remy firmly planted on her legs. A harsh blow fell across the side of her cheek and Rogue turned her head to evade more blows, only to be smacked again on the other side of her face. The blows were so fast and so hard, her mutation didn't have time to react.

"That's enough, Pietro!"

Rogue raggedly breathed in, "Get off mah legs! Dey're already bruised enough as it is." She mentally belated herself for still keeping his accent.

"No, don't." John commanded, tight lipped and angry. This wasn't how the plan was supposed to go.

"Remy's not stupid, _homme._ He's not 'bout t' let de _fille _go."

"Pietro, go get some duck tape."

"Let meh go!"

"Can't do that, Rogue." Pietro had already returned with the duck tape. Careful to avoid touching any skin, John held back her arms as Pietro wrapped her hands together with recessive layers of duck tape. Soon following were her feet, similarly bound together. Rogue struggled, but she was not stronger than the three mutants.

"Set her down in a chair." Remy was the one to comply. Gently, he sat her down upright in a wooden chair at the table. John started pacing.

"Ya can't keep meh here!" Rogue growled, sounding more like the guttural Logan than her normal self.

Nobody answered her.

Rogue sat back in her seat and sighed. She had to file away Remy's memories and personality now. Keeping the three's voices in the back of her mind, calculating their conversation, Rogue began the trying process of separating her thoughts and memories, her personality from Remy's.

"So, who's dis _fille?_"

"She's Rogue-" John shook his head, "Marie-you know, the girl I was planning to kidnap from the mansion?"

"Well dat saves time. See, Remy done a good ding."

Pietro grunted. "We still have to infiltrate the mansion."

"Remy knows dat, but now y' don' have t' capture de _fille_ in de base. All a bonus."

Pietro suddenly looked at John in a demeaning way, questioning. "What exactly were you planning to do with this girl? You still haven't told us that."

John shrugged. "I just wanted to get back at Bobby. She's his girlfriend; I didn't plan on anything else."

Rogue was sorely tempted to say something, but she wanted to hear the rest of the conversation first, so she kept her mouth shut.

Remy smacked his head and Pietro lifted his eyes to the ceiling. "Great. Well then, what's the problem? Since you didn't really plan on actually doing anything to her anyway, this just saves one step in the process, doesn't it?"

"It would have…" John glared at Remy, "If Remy had kept his dirty hands to himself."

"So what's de problem?" Remy carelessly shrugged. "Remy didn't do anythin' t' de _fille._"

"Yes you did!" John was enraged. "You touched her! Remy, she has all your thoughts now! She has your 'pysche'-all your desires and conscious and shit!"

Remy grinned widely, "Den she wants t' have some fun, no?"

"No! She knows the plan and everything we've done in the past, you idiot!"

Remy paused. "Still not seein' de harm, _homme._ So what if she knows what Remy's been up t'? What's she goin' t' do about it?"

"She _lives_ with the X-Men, dumbass! She can't do anything, but they can! They're created to hunt down mutants like us!"

Rogue was mad. First, she had been dragged in by a dirty, perverted Cajun who just wanted to get in her pants. After involuntarily absorbing him, he had (under false pretenses) made her believe that she'd slept with him, and then she'd been roughly tackled and kidnapped by the same three men. She hated being the weak link with the crappy mutant power. Rogue would think of this time if she ever wanted to go drinking again.

The duck tape around her wrists started to glow. Rogue yelped at the sudden heat and cried out. Remy saw the familiar glow and raced over, he touched the duck tape and the glow disappeared. "Y' be careful t' watch y' emotions, _chere._ Don' go blowin' nothin' up."

Rogue's eyes narrowed at the Cajun, then turned on John. "Ya stupid plan isn't goin' ta work. An' jus' fohr ya information, which is already faulty at that, Bobby broke up with meh last night! So ya cahn jus' let meh go now, 'cause ya an idiot who doesn't know what he's doin'."

John faltered. "Bobby broke up with you?" Rogue turned her head down, aware of what she had just shouted and ashamed. Wetness threatened to fall at the corners of her eyes, but she wouldn't let the tears fall. John didn't deserve the satisfaction of seeing her cry. In fact, John didn't seem aware of her reaction at all. "That's brilliant! Do you know how guilty he's going to feel when you don't show up at the mansion tomorrow? He'll kill himself over it! Bobby's the stupid hero type to do something like that." John stalked off, back to his room, satisfied.

Pietro glanced down at Rogue and shook his head disdainfully. He followed John until the split in the hallway and made his way to his own room. Remy sat down in a chair next to Rogue and began aimlessly shuffling a deck of cards. A silent tear slipped away from Rogue's eyes. "Don' mind him, _cherie._ Sometimes his mouth works without realizin' de words."

Rogue fought hard not to sniff or raise her eyes to look at Remy. She didn't want him to see her cry. "What would ya know about anythin'? Ya jus' a dirty thief. Leave meh alone."

"Remy don' have t' be empathetic t' know when a _fille _is upset, _chere._ Dat one o' Remy's professions, he know a girl an' he know how she feels."

"Ah don't want ya advice or ya counsel."

Remy leaned back in his chair, almost relaxing. "M'kay _cherie._ Remy's jus' sayin', whoever dis Bobby boy is; he's a pretty sore loser at de moment. Gave up a pretty nice _fille, _s'all."

Rogue's jaw clenched uncomfortably. She forgot about her tears and stared down hard at the cocky thief. "Ya don't know meh. Ya jus' a player, a low grade, de-Stop lookin' at meh lihke that."

"Like what?"

"Lihke _that._ Stop undressin' meh with ya eyes." Rogue growled lowly, angry. "In fact, don' look at meh at all."

"But y' such a pretty picture,_ cherie._" Remy chuckled softly, obviously not really caring about Rogue's anger. "Y' should be thankful fo' y' mutation. De boys would be all over y'."

Rogue's jaw tightened even more. She could almost hear her teeth grinding. "Shut up. Ya don't know what ya talkin' about."

"Y' should learn t' take a compliment, _chere._"

Rogue snapped. "Stop callin' meh ya stupid little nicknames! Mah name is Rogue an' Ah don't care what ya opinion is. As soon as Ah get outah here, Ah'm goin' t' set Logan on all of ya an' tell him ta rip ya'll ta shreds!"

"Whatever y' say, Roguey."

The duck tape binding Rogue's hands together lit up again. Remy grinned.


	2. Break In

**"STOP! Get away from meh!"** Rogue, still being bound by arms and feet, did a sort of worm jumping movement, lifting her stomach off the ground and trying to propel herself away from John by pushing back with her feet planted against the floor. The move only served to flip her onto her side, from which she rolled onto her back and curled her legs up against her chest. 

"Would you shut up? It won't hurt you. Just be still and cooperate for two seconds." He approached her from her curled position. Rogue screamed again and frantically kicked out her feet, nailing him in a very tender area.

"AHH!" John dropped the bottle he was carrying and jumped away from Rogue, holding his crotch with a pained expression. He tilted precariously for a second, then crashed to the ground, still covering his crotch. "Bitch!" The word came out as a high-pitched squeak. Tears were visible at the corners of his eyes, but he didn't let them fall.

Remy came up behind him, grinning stupidly. "Can't handle de _fille,_ Johnny boy? Too feisty fo' y'?" He glanced down and saw the bottle of sleeping pills. "Ahh, y' tryin' t' poison Remy's _chere,_ are y'? Dat not be y' job, _homme._" Remy bent over and picked up the bottle, then went to the sink and filled up a glass of water. He came upon Rogue from the side.

Rogue tried to roll away, but Remy was too quick for her. He jumped over her to her other side and she rolled right up to his feet. Remy bent over and held her in position, holding her head elevated above ground. He took out five pills from the bottle. "Since y' such a bad _fille, _y' get extra dosage. Open up, _cherie._"

Rogue kept her jaw tightly shut. "Okay, okay, Remy know dat y' probably only need one, bein' de light weight y' are, but dis'll jus' knock y' out quicker. No problems, heh?" Rogue kept her jaw locked. Remy grinned. "Fine, let's do dis Remy's way." Remy leaned Rogue up against his knees so that she remained propped up in a sitting position. He tilted her head back by grabbing a lock of hair and giving a short tug. Her face shot upward. The hand he had used to hold her in place now snaked down her back and into her pants. He playfully tugged at her underwear.

Rogue faltered, her jaw forgotten, she tried to squirm out of his grasp, terrified. She opened her mouth to scream again and Remy quickly shoved the five pills in her mouth, followed by half the cup of water. Rogue gagged and choked, but Remy's covered palm had quickly moved up to her chin and held her head firmly back. Three of the pills were choked down; she managed to stop the last two from slipping down her throat and she hid them in her cheek, ready to spit it out as soon as they left.

More gently now, Remy tilted the cup back again and let her swallow a mouthful of water. "Open y' mouth, _cherie._ Let Remy see." Rogue closed her eyes, trying to close out his voice. "Remy assure y' _chere, _if y' didn't like what he jus' did, y' won't like how he's goin' t' find out dis one either. Save y'self de trouble."

Scared of going through a repeat of Remy touching her, Rogue did as she was told. She tried to hide the two remaining pills, but Remy saw them anyway. "Aww, _cherie._ Let's not do dis again, heh? Remy would be more dan glad t', but-" Rogue quickly swallowed the pills and opened her mouth wide to show him. Remy grinned and gave her the rest of the water. "See now, dat wasn't too bad, was it?"

Rogue slumped down, demoralized and beaten. "You two ladies ready to go or what?" Pietro walked into the kitchen, holding some kind of devices. He tossed one to John and one to Remy. "Let's go."

John picked himself off the floor and followed Pietro out. Remy picked up Rogue in his arms, despite her struggles, and spoke to her as he made his way to the living room. "Don' be too sad, _cherie._ We'll let y' go, jus' after a little bit." He sounded so sincere. Rogue's eyes shot open and she stared at Remy tiredly.

"Ah jus' want ta go home." Rogue sounded so weak and frail. She hated it, but she was just so tired…who would have guessed sleeping pills took effect so fast? Even if it was an over-dosage, shouldn't she at least have ten minutes or so?

"Remy knows dat. Y' get dere soon enough, jus' try not t' dink too much about it. Y' be fine." Remy was being sincere and concerned for her? From his memories, she knew that that rarely ever happened. Remy was a free-lancing guy. He did whatever pleased him, didn't pay attention to rules, was hardly serious, and manipulated anything and anyone he wanted. But to be genuinely sincere? Rogue hadn't ever even seen a memory of him like that. Remy laid her down gently on the sofa and took care to pull a cover over her. Rogue's eyes followed him, but she said nothing.

Remy was tucking in the cover when he leaned over Rogue and whispered. "De red an' lacy really completes de mental picture." He sprung away as Rogue angrily sat up, unable to do anything but glare at him and struggle against her bonds as he quickly left the room. She growled lowly. That damn Cajun!

The front door slammed. Rogue's head spun as she searched the room. Now was her chance to escape, and she didn't have much time. Frantically, Rogue rolled herself off the couch. She landed with a thud against the hardwood floor and winced. That would leave a bruise.

Rogue curled into a ball and began the trying process of getting her arms in front of her. She knew she was flexible enough to do it; she had just never tried before. Rogue grunted at the strain and forced her arms to push farther, harder. She let out a yelp as her arms made it around her butt. Now her legs. It would have been easier if Rogue's legs weren't strapped together, but that's just how life was. Difficult.

Rogue grunted again and attempted to lift both her legs and pull them in-between her arms. It didn't work. Gritting her teeth against the pain, Rogue once again extended out her arms so far that it hurt. Hurriedly pulling in her legs, she reached the middle of her foot-the front-and over. Rogue sighed in relief. Her bound hands were now in front of her.

Leveraging against the sofa, Rogue crawled up the arm of the couch and to her feet. Unsteadily, she grabbed the edge of the sofa to keep from falling. Now she just had to get to the kitchen. Rogue began bunny-hopping to the kitchen, but the process was slow, wobbly, and tiring. Rogue could almost feel the energy draining out of her limbs with each hop. Damn those pills! She had to hurry.

Rogue made another unsteady hop, halfway there before her foot landed lopsided and she crashed to the ground again, this time jabbing her chin. Rogue groaned softly. She didn't have the strength to hop all the way to the kitchen. Rogue began army crawling with her arms as leverage and her feet pushing her forward. All she really wanted to do was sleep, but just the memory of Remy made her push herself. She couldn't stay here. She had to warn the X-Men too. If Remy's plan worked out, nearly all the mansion's money would be directly wired into an account of his. That couldn't happen.

Rogue felt her eyes drifting closed. Her limbs were so tired, they were rubbery and going numb. Rogue fumbled for another footing before her head fell against the ground. The ringing in her ears only made her want to fall into darkness all the more. Rogue's arms fell out and touched something cool. The cupboard handle!

Rogue blearily blinked, heaving in deep breaths of air as if it were water, she fastened her tape-bound hands around the pointy tip of the top of the handle. Heaving, with all her strength, Rogue pushed her tired body upward so that all her weight rested against the tape in the middle of her hand. Nothing happened.

She was too light! Rogue tried pushing downward against the tape, but she fared no better. Her eyes started to drift again, she was losing. Rogue's arms fell limply; her whole body was sprawled out against the kitchen floor. She was gone.

**"Look at him. Laughing it up, hugging her like they've been going out for ages. I've never pegged Bobby as the cheating type, but they've definitely been going out for more than one day."** John's eyes narrowed against the binoculars and he bounced precariously on the branch, pointing. "Look! Look! He's sucking on her like there's no tomorrow. He's definitely been cheating on Rogue! The dirt bag, he never deserved her. I'm glad she's with us now."

Remy watched the Pryo, analyzing John's behavior. John was acting like a jealous little kid. "Says de kid who kidnapped her yesterday an' recklessly threw her breakup in her face. Y' jus' don' get it, _homme._"

John frowned and turned away from the scene in front of him. "When did I throw it in her face?"

Remy shook his head disapprovingly. "De whole 'Brilliant, he'll feel so guilty abou' it'-not exactly de way t' go. An' she did kick y' in de nuts today. Y' make interestin' progress with girls. No wonder y' don't bring any home."

"Compared to your new girl every night? I think I'll not take advice from you, thanks." John turned back peeking through his binoculars. Bobby and Kitty were still kissing. Bobby's hands had wound around her back and were crawling up her shirt. Kitty wasn't resisting.

"That's disgusting. What a-a-guy. He's just like you."

"What now, y' rebukin' y' own sex? If y' haven't noticed already, it's what we guys do. Y' jus' not in de swing o' dings."

"Cheating? Being a jackass? No, it's what people like you do."

"Dere a lot more people like Remy out dere, _homme._ Dey're jus' not as sexy o' smooth. An' Remy's not a jackass, he's a gentleman. Remy simply pleases women's desires. It's what a guy does."

"Well then, being a guy sucks!"

"Y' officially a woman now o' what?"

A call was heard from the bottom of the tree they currently resided in. "You two done having a heart to heart? You coming or what? We get to action in five."

"Johnny boy's jus' a little sexually confused."

"Tickle each other later, you little girls. We've gotta go! Remy, you're up first."

"Keep y' pants on, Remy's comin'."

"I better get to do something." John complained. Remy grinned at him from his position at the trunk of the tree, sliding down.

"Is it our fault dat y' have no skills?" With a wink, he was off.

Remy, having already hopped the gate with Pietro and John, made his way across the lawn. He looked for motion detectors, but highly doubted that there would be any outside. Kids played outside, that'd always be setting them off. A few children were huddled together over something at the far right corner of the school and more milled about the yard, playing soccer or some other kicking sport. Remy easily avoided the groups of kids and landed himself on the left side of the building.

From there, Remy looked up. The nearest window was a good ten feet up. That wasn't hard. Remy jumped up and pulled himself up to the ledge, hanging with his feet dangling a few feet above ground. Remy peered through the window. Nobody was inside. He had found the correct classroom. The window had an alarm on it. Remy followed the ledge of the window to the tiny corner. A small, nearly undetectable red dot could barely be seen under the concrete paved over the ledge. It was a pretty good hiding job, but not good enough.

Remy touched the little cord and gave it just a tiny surge of power. It glowed magenta for a second before making a small pop. The cord was disconnected. Remy smiled to himself and lifted the window, crawled in, and shut it behind him. He was inside.

"Remy reportin', he is in de base. Movin' on t' step two."

"Check. No disturbance. Proceed."

Remy made his way to the classroom door and peered outside. Students roamed the hallway continuously, aimlessly. Carefully, Remy specifically chose four separate cards and again, only charged them with a minimal explosion. He slipped them out the edge of the door and they fluttered to the hallway. Fast, loud explosions followed.

The kids scattered, screaming, making a fuss, running every which way. Remy took that as his cue and slipped out of the classroom. Quickly making his way through the fussy hallway, he made his way to a back room where the some more deserted, unused classrooms stood. Flipping over the banister of the stairs, he smoothly landed on his feet and crouched down beside a tall standing white banister. Closing out all the other emotions around him, Remy focused in on the office in front of him.

Nothing. No emotions. Remy grinned. The room was empty. Not that he had expected any differently. Calmly making his way across the hallway, he walked into the room as if he owned the place. Remy locked the door behind him and took a seat at the main security computer. "Dis more like it." He began his work.

**"Security is shut down. Ready t' go."** Remy's voice played across the microphone, directly into Pietro's ear.

"Alright, good job, Remy." He spoke into his communicator piece. "Second operation is commenced. Stand by." Pietro raced across the yard. Now that the security was shut down, he didn't have to worry about triggering any alarms. John was back up in case anybody noticed something was wrong.

Pietro went to the opposite end of the building that Remy had. Facing the right wall, his gaze traveled skyward to the top most window. Without pause, he began the run up the side of the building. Halfway there he began to feel his traction slipping. Pietro reached out and grabbed the nearest window ledge. He could climb the rest of the way; he hadn't expected to make it all the way up.

Five antagonizing, slow minutes later, he had reached the window. It was already open. Pietro swung himself up and inside, landing a little lopsided on his back. Quickly brushing himself off, he got up and made his way to the row of computers.

Pietro was good with computers. Being son to a man who wanted to control the world, he knew how to hack into systems among a number of other things that normal teenagers wouldn't. His fingers danced across the keys in-between moments of loading. This was easier than he had expected.

Thanks to Remy, he knew the codes of the school's finances. Hacking into the system was only the first part. After that it was all a cruise. He would wire the money through two different bank accounts before landing it in an offshore account in Europe, one that Remy happened to own. Pietro wasn't sure how Remy had gained the access codes and he never ceased to be amazed how the slick thief ran his life. He was just grateful that he wasn't ever set against Remy.

He had just transferred the money through the second bank when the handle of the office door shook. "Shit." Pietro raced to the window, only minimizing his work. He crawled out the window and lodged himself just under the ledge.

"Ororo!"

The footsteps that had entered the room paused. "Logan?"

"Come here, goddamnit! Something's wrong with the security system."

The footsteps retreated. Pietro knew he perhaps only had minutes to act. He hopped back through the window and quickly finished his work. Unplugging the wire and taking out a disc, he loaded everything onto the disc. He quickly scrambled out the window again and spoke into his communicator. "Remy, you've got company. Get out of there, now."

There was a buzzing on the communicator before Remy's voice fuzzed through. "Dink y' could have warned Remy any sooner, _homme?_ Y' better call Johnny in."

"You hear that, John?"

"Already there." There was a sound of an explosion before the communicator buzzed again loudly.

"Go, Pietro! Get out of here! We'll take care of this!" Pietro didn't want to leave his friends, but he saw the sense in leaving. If either Remy or John was caught, he was the only chance for them. Maybe he could even barter the girl away, if worse came to worse. But he had to get out of there, fast. Pietro was the king of speed.

He was already home by the time the communicator buzzed again. "Remy? John? You there?"

Nobody answered.

**John had been obsessively watching Bobby again when the communicator buzzed to life. **"John! John!" It was Remy. John hopped out of his tree position and raced to the mansion. Before the theft, they had agreed that John would only be called in at desperate measures. It wouldn't matter if he was seen now; something had gone wrong, they must have already been discovered.

John raced through the front doors like there was no tomorrow and charged for the empty classrooms corner. Nobody ever used these classrooms, they were spares and they also happened to be right in front of the security rooms. An explosion rocked the ground and John nearly fell, but managed to catch himself at the last minute. He continued forward. Remy needed him.

The door was blown off by the time John got there. Claw marks were carved into the wood and the hinges were clearly exploded from Remy's charged explosives. John entered to see Logan tackle Remy to the ground, efficiently pinning the leaner man beneath him. "No!" John reached for his lighter and flicked it open. Logan turned to see who was behind him just in time to get nailed in the shoulder with a flame.

Logan roared inhumanly and his hand left Remy's right shoulder. Remy took fast advantage of his release limb and grabbed Logan's shirt. Logan's shirt began to glow as Remy roughly shoved the older mutant off him. Logan wasn't pushed far. In the middle of the room, his shirt exploded. Burns and blood mixed as Logan leapt at the first thing he saw, which just so happened to be John. Both fell to the ground, John under the immense weight of an adamantium skeleton. The tackle took them both out into the hall, where a waiting Ororo's eyes flashed dangerously. A strong wind picked up, snuffing out John's flames and picking Logan off him.

John tried to sit up, but Logan's foot connected with his head solidly and all went dark. Logan spun to take the other mutant, but nobody was in the security office room. Remy was gone.


	3. Support

**Wanda strolled into the kitchen and went to the sink to get a glass of water, her curly, auburn locks danced before her eyes.** She nearly tripped over something large and squishy, but caught herself at the last minute. Green eyes looked down to see what lie in her path and found an unconscious girl sprawled across the kitchen floor with her hands and feet duct taped together.

Wanda raised an eyebrow in distain and shook her head. She stepped over the unconscious girl and to the sink, getting her cup of water. She evaded Rogue's limp form again and sat down on the sofa, flipping on the television and changing the station to the 'mutant' news.

The announcer's voice grated on her ears. "And still no sign of Magneto anywhere. Since he became powerless, mutants and humans alike have been searching for this man. He was the main cause of last year's disaster at Alcatraz. After being shot with the cure, you would think he'd be easier to locate, but no. He's still managed to evade-"

Wanda flipped off the television with a mumbled "Idiots," Just as she threw down the remote and stood up, the door burst open and Pietro flew in.

He barely noticed Wanda. He zoomed across the threshold and into Remy's room before dashing into John's. Wanda arched another perfectly suspicious eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

Pietro finally noticed her. He skidded to a halt, making a mark with his shoes against the hardwood floor. "Have you seen her? The girl?"

"The unconscious slut sprawled across the kitchen floor?" Pietro zoomed out of the room and reappeared a second later, dragging the girl by her duct tape bindings. He laid her out against the hardwood and disappeared again. Wanda inspected the girl.

She couldn't have seen from before, but the girl was young. Very young. She couldn't have been older than seventeen, in fact. Brown hair splayed out above her head where two single white streaks fell on either side of her face, almost framing her features. Lightly closed eyes led to a small, cute nose just above slightly parted lips. She was unusually pale, as if she hadn't seen sunlight for a while, but that might have just happened after Remy was through with her. Her shirt was halfway pulled up over her stomach, due to Pietro's dragging. The girl was both wearing Remy's shirt and his boxers. Wanda just saw a slut. "Another birthday present for Remy?"

Pietro raced back into the room and splashed a bucket of cold water on her head. The girl didn't even stir. "Jesus, what'd you do to her?" Pietro raced back out of the room, presumably to get another bucket.

"Maybe five pills was a little much, heh?" Remy stood in the doorway, bruised and ruffled. His jeans had numerous holes in them, as did his shirt and his hair was scuffed back, almost sticking up.

"Rough night?"

Pietro appeared back on the scene. "John?"

"Caught."

"Shit!" Pietro raced away again. Remy casually leaned back against the doorway.

"Nice t' see y' again, Wanda." And it was. Remy would never consider seeing Wanda as a bad thing. Wanda was a very attractive woman, despite her sour attitude towards him and her uncaring nature. Even though she was an unfriendly, restricted woman, that didn't mean Remy had to lay off. The sexy outfits she always wore only encouraged him. Today, it was her traditional red bra-like top that only remained closed by the cross ties across the top; it showed a good portion of her chest. The outfit was skintight against her stomach. Long, red opera gloves extended almost all the way to her shoulder. It could barely be told where her shirt ended and her pants began, so smoothly cut was the fabric that it all seemed to flow together. All of it was blood red, alluring.

"I can't say the same."

"What about dat wild night y' promised Remy? Goin' t' hold up on de offer?" Wanda gave him a cold look; there, of course, was no wild night she had promised him, but it didn't hurt to try. Remy chuckled and began making his way over to the unconscious girl on the floor. He picked up her arms and let them drop. "Yep, she not fakin' it."

"Isn't she a bit young?" Wanda cared nothing of the girl, nor of Remy for that matter. They had gone through this same process before.

"Too youn'? Dere's no such ding." Remy inspected the girl, a small smile forming. "She's a beauty."

Pietro came by again and splashed another bucket of water on the girl. She still didn't stir. He raced away. The water started to douse Rogue's clothes, making them see-through. Remy fingered the hem of Rogue's shirt that was already halfway pulled up her stomach.

Pietro rushed in again and another water bucket was dumped on Rogue. Before he could zoom away, however, Remy caught his arm. "Dat obviously not workin', _homme._ Give it a rest; she'll wake when she wakes."

"We need her to be awake now!" Pietro wrenched his arm out of Remy's grasp. "We need to barter her with John!"

Remy gave him a look. "Whoa, _homme._ Slow down. Y' can't barter her away. We jus' break in an' take Johnny back, no? Y' heard what he said 'bout her. She knows stuff, she can't go back dere."

"Damnit!" Pietro dropped the bucket and knelt down next to her on the other side of Remy. "Remy, they'll be expecting us. It's a whole mansion of mutants. How do you expect to get John back?"

"Remy jus' dat smooth. Don' worry 'bout it."

"Then how did John get caught in the first place? You're smooth, Remy, but it's a school of mutants. We're going to need a little more than my speed and your wit."

"Well den, let's wait fo' de _fille _t' wake up an' Remy will question her."

"She'll just lie."

"Y' forgettin' dat Remy's de master o' all women. He'll get de truth outa' her. Remy can always tell if a _fille _is tellin' de truth. An' even if she refuses, which is downright impossible, Remy has…persuasive ways."

Wanda quirked the side of her mouth down. Just as all her other facial expressions, this one seemed emphasized to show the full extent of her opinion. "You mean you're going to sleep with her."

"Dis be surprisin' t' y', but no. She not like dat. She a touchy _fille._ Remy jus' needs t' antagonize her de right way, dat's all."

"Antagonize, huh? That's what you call it?" Wanda sat back into the sofa and lay down, closing her eyes.

"Wait Remy, you're going to just let John stay there until she wakes up and we can question her? Who knows what they could be doing to him!"

Remy waved him off with his hand that wasn't playing with the hem of Rogue's shirt. "No reason t' worry 'bout dat, _homme._ De X-Men don' torture, dey're all 'bout reformin' a mutant.

"Are you sure?" Pietro wasn't all that worried, but it wouldn't do good to have John rat out information through torture. He knew John acted like a badass all the time, but if it came down to it, Pietro doubted that he'd keep a cool front.

"'M positive, y' don' got nothin' t' worry 'bout. Dere psychics jus' recently died too, so dey're not goin' t' know nothin'."

"Okay." Pietro trusted Remy. If Remy told him something, it was true. "Hey Wanda, you find anything new?"

"No. He's still hiding." They both knew who _he_ was. Magneto, their father. Since the downfall of his powers, he had taken to hiding. The man was a coward. A coward whom they both hated with a passion. If Wanda or Pietro ever found him, it was a sure thing that there'd be a corpse left, and it wouldn't be theirs. "Well then, since we can't leave here for awhile…Halo?"

Remy grinned and moved away from Rogue, leaving her splayed out on the floor.

_--_

_"Bonjour fille! Y' lookin' lonely, sittin' dere all by y'self. Y' need some company, no?" Remy, only a boy of fourteen, was already a charmer. He seated himself down next to the girl who shifted uncomfortably._

_She too, was only a child. Only a year younger than Remy himself, they were the best of friends. "Shit, Remy what de hell y' doin' here? Y' tryin' t' get shot? Dis is de first official job fo' me!"_

_Remy gave her a lazy grin and chuckled, never quite directing the words at her, but not exactly looking away either. "Remy knows dat. He's here t' keep y' company on y' first mission. Is dat so bad?"_

_"If anyone recognizes y', y' dead! Remy please, get outa here." Bella spoke in a hushed whisper, as if afraid of being heard. _

_Remy understood, but shook his head. "Non, Remy can't leave his Bella alone on her very first mission. What kinda friend would dat be?"_

_Belladonna's eyes traveled over to him for the first time. She would only be permitted a few glances, her guild was watching her. Her eyes were desperate. "I don' want y' t' see me kill dem." She shuttered slightly and turned her gaze away, ashamed and scared._

_So it was that kind of mission. Belladonna would officially be inaugurated into the Assassin's Guild today. "Y' got y' first gun?"_

"_I got my first gun when I was eight, y' know dat."_

_Remy mused. "Oui, Remy know dat. He mean, y' first heavy piece." She knew what that meant. Her first gun that was actually meant to kill someone._

"_Oui."_

_Remy paused. "Y' don' want t' kill dem?"_

_Belladonna was still turned away. She couldn't risk looking at him again. He might get caught. "Not in front o' y'…" She paused, sipping her drink. "No. Not at all."_

_Remy couldn't touch her, sooth her with anything of the sort. That'd be a dead give away. Belladonna didn't want to kill. She didn't want to be an assassin. "Who's de victim?"_

_Bella directed with her eyes, staring down at a family of four. Two young children, younger than them, looking to be twins around seven or so excitedly jumped up and down in front of the two adults. Remy mentally cursed. Bella had to kill kids on her first time? Way to swing her into things. "Not de kids…dough, it won't really matter. Might even do dem good." Remy understood what she meant. The two adults were the parents of the kids; the children would be without their parents. There was a good possibility of them dying on the street anyway._

_"Do y' want me t' do it?" Remy had never killed anyone, but he had been trained how. Not as professionally as Bella, but basically in the simplest terms. He'd rather not have Bella 'wet her hands'. Remy started to stand, but stopped at Bella's voice._

_"No, don't. I have t' get used t' it sometime. I don't want t' prolong it." Remy settled back into his seat, making it look like he was just adjusting his position._

_"When y' done, y' meet Remy at de alley, oui?"_

_"I don' know how long de celebration will go on afterwards."_

_"Don' matter, Remy wait all night if he has t'."_

_The two couple stood up and ordered their children to stay put, setting one of the waitresses to watch them. They exited the door, following a black-clad man. Bella stood up, she didn't say anything to him as she left. Remy never even heard the gunshots. He left without another word._

_--_

_Bella cried into his chest all night and Remy let her. Bella was his best friend, and she was breaking down. He would always be there for her. _

_Her missions continued. She found him after every mission and clung to him for support. Remy readily helped, Bella needed him. After the seventh time, there were no more tears. She sniffled and looked away, but her tears were all gone. By the twelfth time there wasn't even a frown. It all became ritual. Bella had become accustomed to killing. _

_It didn't change their friendship. Remy and Bella remained best friends, despite the family feud between them and the differences in their professions, they were both criminals. They gleaned from each other, relying on the other to always be there. And they were._

_--_

**Five hours later, Remy decided it was snack time. **Pietro was too wrapped up in the game to get up, so Remy was the one. He removed his head set and placed it on the floor before standing up and exiting the room. It had become darker outside, almost night. Remy loved the night. Night life was what he lived for.

Remy made his way to cupboard and flipped open the drawer before pausing slightly. Peering over the edge of the counter, Remy could just make out Wanda's sleeping frame and behind it, Rogue's on the ground. Rogue was twitching. Remy glanced back over his shoulder and saw that Pietro was still busily playing his game before he carefully shut the cupboard, being careful not to make noise. He crept up to the edge of the sofa, over to the side, watching Rogue's twitching frame. Her chest rose and fell unevenly, almost as if she were choking.

"_Chere_?" Remy reached about a slow and steady hand, only centimeters away. Rogue's eyes snapped open. She backpedaled away as best she could in her position, staring at Remy with a mix of awe and horror.

"_Chere?_" Remy asked again, uncertain as to why she was staring at him like that. Wide eyed, Rogue continued to just look at him. "What's wrong, _chere?_ Remy got someding on his handsome face?" He scratched his chin, posing for her.

"Bella…" Rogue hadn't meant to say that, it had just slipped out. It was barely above a whisper, but Remy would never mistake that name.

Remy's grin melted within in an instant; he drew back his hand as if she had burned him. "Where did y' hear dat name?" He almost sounded…angry? Desperate? It was a tone he'd never used with Rogue before. Rogue flinched away; bringing her arms above her face, as if afraid he'd strike her.

Remy's jaw tightened as he stared down at her. He turned and fled to his room, loudly slamming the door.

"What now?" Wanda rolled off the couch, nearly smashing into Rogue before she noticed her. "Oh, you're awake."

Rogue was seeing the woman for the first time. She hadn't known that there were more people, other than the three guys, who lived in the house. Rogue stared at the woman. "Hello?"

"Did you want something?" Wanda stared down at the girl in distain, obvious dislike marking her words and showing in her gaze.

"Cahn…Cahn ya unbind meh? Mah wrists hurt."

"You done being kinky with Remy or you just going to go running to him?"

Rogue blinked. "What?"

The woman shook her head and walked off. "Pietro, she's awake! Where's Remy? Tell him to get his girl out of here. We don't need more trash in this house." Pietro raced into the room and next to Rogue.

"Alright, girl. Times up. You're going to answer some questions for us now." Pietro leaned her up against the back of the sofa so that she was in a sitting position. Then, he looked over his shoulder at Remy's closed bedroom door. "Remy, she's awake! Come on, you're better at this."

It took another minute, but Remy's door opened again. He walked out stiffly and sat beside Pietro, not looking at her. Pietro looked at him. "Okay, how do we start this?"

Remy's jaw tightened again and he finally looked at her. "_Chere,_ dere's a few dat questions we want t' know. I'll know if y' lying, so don't. Y' won't like de consequences, I assure y'." It was the first time Rogue had heard him speak in first person. She swallowed thickly.

"If Ah answer ya questions…will ya let meh go?"

"_Non_, can't do dat." Rogue looked down, disheartened and unable to hold his gaze. Remy sighed. "Okay, _chere._ Remy make y' a deal." Rogue silently noted he'd gone back to third person. "If y' answer all o' his questions truthfully, an' Remy'll know, don't doubt dat, den Remy will remove y' bonds, provided dat y' don't try t' escape. If y' do, Remy will catch y' an' y' break de trust fo' dat privilege. Deal?"

"Okay." Rogue softly mumbled. It wasn't exactly going home, but it was a step in the right direction. "What do ya want ta know?"

Pietro gave Remy a look out of the corner of his eye, but Remy ignored him. "When Remy touched y' de other day an' passed out from y' mutation. What exactly did dat do? Explain y' mutation."

Rogue's head sunk a little further into her chest, Remy noted. "Mah mutation is absorption through touch. Whenever someone touches mah skin, Ah absorb them." She paused for a second. "Ah can't control it, otherwise Ah wouldn't have absorbed ya." Remy quirked an eyebrow at her, Rogue hurried on. "Basically, Ah get ya thoughts, memories, experiences, desires, dreams, personality, powers, physical traits, everythin' of ya goes inta meh. Ya become another voice in mah head. Ah call 'em psyches. Sometimes, it overwhelms meh an' Ah get confused as ta who Ah am, the professor used ta help meh with that…"

Remy's eyebrow rose further. He knew Rogue was telling the truth, could tell by her slumped position, down-trodden tone, her weariness about the topic. She obviously didn't like her mutation. Remy didn't blame her. "'Bout dese memories an' doughts y' absorb, how much do y' have o' Remy?"

"Everything."

"Shit! Then you know everything about us?"

Rogue turned to look at Pietro. "It doesn't work lihke that. At first, while Ah'm touchin' the person, all their thoughts and personality and stuff overwhelms meh. Ah live through their memories and experiences as if they were mah own. But after the first ten minutes or so, Ah can usually get a handle on it an' Ah shut away them inta a psyche. After the absorption, Ah can look through their memories, but Ah prefer not to. It's a confusin' experience anyway an' Ah could easily get lost in that other psyche. If they respect mah privacy, Ah respect theirs."

"Y' speak as if dey were a person." Remy marveled offhand.

"They are. They're replicas of the real person, trapped in mah head." Rogue was solemn.

Remy frowned. "So what do y' know about our plans with y' mansion?" Rogue tore her gaze away and looked down at her knees again, not answering. _"Chere…"_ Remy began in a warning tone.

Rogue shivered. "Ah know ya planned ta rob the mansion…how ya been watchin' it fohr nearly a month now, how ya timed everything perfectly…" She curled her knees up against her chest, lacing her bound arms around them, rocking herself gently. "Ah wish ya didn't…everyone at the mansion depends on that place. The kids…most of 'em are runaways, like meh. Ya took their support right out from under them. How are they gunna provide for all of 'em without any money?"

"She knows too much. We can't let her go back…"

Remy shook his head. "_Non,_ we can't." Remy already feared that was so. She only confirmed it. Rogue buried her head in her knees, aware that she had just incriminated herself to a longer captivity. She wouldn't even be able to warn the mansion. Their support would be pulled out from under them without any kind of explanation. Pietro stood.

"I'm going out."

"Come back soon, we need t' get Johnny."

"I won't be long." He left, Remy stood and went to the kitchen. He grabbed a knife and returned to Rogue.

"Hold y' head up, _chere._" Rogue lifted her head, but turned away from Remy. Remy could see the tear streaks down her cheeks, she was crying. Carefully, Remy sliced the duct tape binding her legs and peeled it off her skin. Rogue winced. "Sorry. Hold out your hands." Rogue did so, flinching as she felt the weight pressed against her hands.

"Don't touch-"

"Y' skin, Remy knows." Remy carefully cut away the duct tape, avoiding contact with her bare hands. Rogue absently rubbed her wrists, pulling them close to her stomach. Remy crumpled up the tape in his hands and stared at Rogue for a moment before speaking. His tone was softer, gentle this time. "Did y'…did y' see Belladonna in y' dreams?"

"Ah'm sorry." Rogue kept her gaze away from him, not wanting to see his reaction. Her hands trembled slightly as she rubbed her wrists.

"It's okay. Y' didn't ask t' see anythin'…What did y' see?"

Rogue pulled her knees closer to her, conscious about her bare arms and legs. She wrapped her arms around her knees again. "Ah saw ya spoke with Bella about her first mission…the way ya comforted her fohr days afterwards."

Remy looked down, Rogue wasn't watching him, but she saw the movement. She didn't exactly know why, he had done a good thing. Was he reminiscing? "Yeah, dat was a hard time fo' her…" He trailed off, "Noding else?"

Rogue softly shook her head. Remy stood up. "Okay, _chere. _Y' want t' shower o' someding an' get a change o' clothes? Remy can pick someding from Wanda's closet."

"Okay." Rogue stood up slowly, keeping her arms crossed against her stomach. She followed Remy back into his room and into his adjoining bathroom.

"Wait here." He instructed. Rogue did, shifting her weight from foot to foot nervously. Remy was back in another minute with a stack of clothes. "Remy's goin' t' go out t' buy y' some necessary under dings." His traditional grin came back. "Remy knows y' size an' dat y' like red an' lacy fo' panties, but he's goin' t' need t' know y' brassiere size."

Rogue's fidgeting stopped. She glared at Remy, who held out his hands innocently. "What? Remy's on a budget, he can't go gettin' y' every size. Go on, _chere._"

Rogue mumbled something incoherent. Remy's grin widened. "Remy didn't catch dat."

"32, C" Rogue mumbled, cheeks red, looking away from Remy's surely smiling face.

And Remy was smiling. "_Oui?_ An' y' had Remy half dinkin' dat y' stuffed, _cherie!_" He disappeared before Rogue could throw anything at him.


	4. Fight

**Rogue stepped out of the shower precariously; as if afraid someone might jump at her and attack. **Nothing of the sort happened. Rogue tenderly walked over to the stool that held a pile of clothes on it. Beside it was a stack of lingerie. 

Rogue frowned. Remy had already left and come back? She hadn't even heard him open the door to the bathroom. Who knows what he could have been doing? The thought caused Rogue to hike up her towel again as she peered down suspiciously at the lingerie.

It, of course, was all thong-like underwear, some with lace, others that were see-through. Rogue shut her eyes for a minute, trying to will away her surroundings. It didn't work, when she opened her eyes the room was still there. Rogue went through the stack of panties and found one that wasn't as bad as the others. However, when she turned it around, her frown deepened. Scrawled across the top in bold gold letters that shimmered was the phrase 'Cajun's girl'. Rogue's jaw tightened.

The brassieres were no better. All were lacy and exposing, offering little to no support at all, only there for show. Rogue grimaced. At least no one would see it, that was a bonus, but she didn't want to wear any of the selection that Remy had bought. And he had bought quite a few, Rogue noted. How long did he intend for her to be there anyway? Sighing, Rogue found the most normal bra, which was far from normal, deep black with lacy frills that squeezed against her tightly, and regrettably put on the 'Cajun' panties.

Now were the clothes. Rogue moved her gaze to the stack and her breath hitched in her throat. The clothes were hardly any better. There were three tops to choose from, but that didn't make the choice any broader. One shirt was a completely open back with only drawstrings across it to keep it up and the tiniest actual clothing that Rogue had ever seen. That was immediately not an option. Too much skin showed.

The second one was even worse. Something that had to be bought at Spencer's or some other kind of perverted store. It was a completely black, leather stripper's over-coat. Rogue quickly pushed that one aside.

Rogue did not want to wear the other. A wide V-neck, only clasped together by three very small strings at the bottom of the V, dove into a small, tightened middle that looked small enough to hold a two year old. Although it was long enough to cover the necessary territory and had a back, Rogue doubted she'd even be able to breath in such an outfit. The matching pants were also deep blue and would undoubtly cling to her every curve. The long, black opera gloves would nearly reach her shoulders.

"REMY!"

There were several loud bangs before Remy's voice could be heard in approaching. "_Oui, cherie?_ Dere someding wrong?" The bathroom door burst open, revealing Rogue in just her small panties and revealing bra. Rogue shrieked and held up the towel.

"Get out! That wasn't an invitation!"

Remy was broadly grinning as he closed the door behind him, taking more time than necessary to leave the room. "Remy knew y'd like de Cajun panties."

Rogue's jaw twitched. "Remy, Ah won't wear these poor excuses fohr clothes. Find meh somethin' normal."

"Dere isn't anythin' else, _chere._ Dat's de most normal dings dat Wanda wears."

Rogue wanted to scream. "Then give meh somethin' of ya'rs! Ah refuse ta wear this-this tramps' outfit!"

"Ah, but _chere, _y' look awfully cute in it. Besides, Remy's out o' clothes. Dere's nothin' else fo' y'."

"Ya are not!"

Remy began trotting off. "Unless y' plan on gracin' us with de sight o' y' in Remy's specially chosen under dings, den y' better put on de outfit."

Rogue covered her face with her hands and silently screamed. When she finally went home, she'd definitely have Logan track down the perverted Cajun and rip him to shreds.

**Ten minutes later, Rogue peeked out the door of Remy's actual room. **Nobody was in the living room. Rogue was spanked from behind. She jumped and yelled, dashing off out of the room and crouching behind the sofa.

"Dat's more like it!"

"Don't touch meh, ya damn Cajun! Ah'm goin' ta kill ya!"

Remy came around the edge of the sofa, grinning stupidly at her, analyzing her. The outfit was tight around Rogue, as it was meant to be. It emphasized all the right curves in all the right ways and showed a good portion of her chest. Tightly stretched taut against her stomach, it clung to her every move. Rogue's arms crossed over her chest, blocking Remy's view. "Get away from meh!"

"_Non,_ Remy don' want t'."

Wanda walked up from behind Rogue, giving her a highly raised eyebrow. "Where'd you get that outfit, Sluts-R-Us? Or is it just one leftover from some other girl of Remy's?"

Rogue's eyes narrowed and she jumped at Remy. "Ya liar!"

Remy let her tackle him to the ground, chuckling as she fell on top of him and raised a fist to punch him. Remy caught the fist as it swung down to hit his face. "Now, now, _chere,_ y' don' wanna goin' bruisin' dis handsome face. Let's dink before we act, heh?"

Rogue made a wild growling sound and tried to strike him with her other hand. She was at an awkward position and it was her left hand, Remy easily caught that fist too and flipped their positions so that he was on top of her, holding down her struggling arms by the wrists. His knees pressed down upon her inner, upper thighs, restricting all leg movement.

Rogue tried to buck up her stomach to shove him off, but he didn't budge. Remy smiled down at her widely. "Are y' done yet, _cherie?_"

"Why can't ya just leave meh alone! Ah never asked ta be here!"

"If dats what a bad drinkin' night will get y', a very sexy Cajun sprawled over y', den Remy wishes dat more _filles_ have bad nights."

Wanda rolled her eyes and bent over to yank Remy's arm up. "Get off of her, Remy." As soon as Rogue's limb was release, she hulled back and punched Remy in the stomach. Wanda pulled the suddenly coughing Cajun off Rogue and Rogue scrambled away, backing up from him.

"Y' feisty, _chere."_

Wanda shook her head disapprovingly and pulled Remy to his feet. She pushed him off towards the kitchen. "Go make something to eat."

Remy bowed before he left. "O' course, Remy will make a romantic nightly dinner fo' de ladies." And he was gone. Rogue realized how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten anything in at least a day or so. No wonder she fit into the skinny stripper's outfit.

Wanda glanced at Rogue with something accustomed to distain in her eyes. "And what's your story?"

"Ah jus' want ta go home."

"You from Xavier's?"

Rogue looked away. "Yeah…"

"Ah, that makes sense." Wanda walked around the edge of the sofa and sat down. "So Remy's keeping you here?"

"What's it ta ya?"

"Touchy, aren't you? Sorry I pulled Remy off you, next time I'll just let him lie there."

The door opened and Pietro raced in. He caught sight of Rogue and skidded to a halt. "Whoa, when did you get hot?" Wanda shook her head and Rogue curled up her knees to her chest again. It was going to be a very long and antagonizing captivity.

--------

**John was also experiencing a very long and antagonizing captivity.** He woke up to the sight of florescent lights shining way too brightly. His hands and legs were strapped down against a surgical table. He knew immediately where he was, the X-Men's sub-levels in the infirmity. How he had gotten there? He had no idea. John tried to remember the last thing that had happened, but he was drawing a blank. The memory just wouldn't come to him.

"Don't think about it too hard," A voice floated over his table, "You've suffered a concussion. You shouldn't be able to remember what happened." John knew what a concussion was; he didn't need it to be spelled out to him. He glanced sideways and his gaze fell on a furry, huge mutant. The man looked like more of a beast than human, covered from head to foot in a thick layer of blue fur. Blue eyes shone out from behind square spectacles. The man was glancing down at a chart and reading some vitals.

"What happened?" Something must have happened. He wouldn't be in the X-Mansion if nothing had happened. He hated that place.

"Logan kicked you a little hard after you broke into the mansion. As for what you were doing in the mansion, we've already discovered our missing funds. We have some of our best, computer smart student teachers looking into it right now. They will track the funds down eventually and take back what you, and apparently others, barrowed." Shit! They knew about the plan! That had happened already? It must have, if he was captured and the money was already gone.

"You won't find it." John was confident in Pietro's hacking skills. Growing up with a terrorist father did have its perks.

"So you admit to it then? That's quite interesting." He scribbled something else down on his paper as John mentally swore. He shouldn't have said that.

He kept his cool. "What're you going to do about it?"

Hank looked at him over his spectacles. "I am, I'll have you know, head of mutant affairs in the country government. I could take the problem up with them and I'm sure we could figure a worthy punishment for stealing nearly sixteen billion dollars."

Shit! He needed to stop talking. He was only digging himself deeper and deeper. "But I don't want to do that." Hank continued, oblivious to John's mental peril. "I'm hoping that you could point us in the right direction as to getting our money back. We would get the money, and let go of you."

John remained silent. He wouldn't say anything else to incriminate himself or the others. Hank pushed his glasses further up on his nose. "I didn't think so, either, but it's always worth a try." Hank started to walk away.

"You can't keep me here!" Hank paused.

"I don't suppose we can. That'd be just as criminal as stealing. However, if you continue to refuse to cooperate, I'm going to have to take this up to the government officials. It's a huge theft; it will concur in an equally as big punishment. And rest assured, the others will be caught too. People don't get away with such a robbery. You should know that, John."

He turned back to his table and gadgets. John's jaw clenched uncomfortably. Pietro and Remy had better come to save him fast. He wouldn't go to some mutant reforming captivity place and take all the blame. No, he trusted them. They were his only family. His brothers would come for him.

Pounding was heard on the steps and a few seconds later, Logan appeared. Enraged and possibly insane, he made a beeline right for John. "You dirty, fucking, son-of-a-bitch. I'll kill you!" He dove for John's table, but was intercepted by Hank, who stood firmly in front of John, almost as a protector.

"Logan, what's this about? Calm your anger."  
Logan looked ready to rip through Hank to get to John. "Rogue's gone!"

Hank blanched. "What?"

"One of the younger kids saw he jump out the window two days ago and she's still not back. John's party must have caught her on the way back and took her!"

Hank tried to reason with Logan. "Logan, there's no proof that anything of the sort happened. In fact, Rogue's probably just off with some friends and you just haven't seen her…" He continued, but John tuned it out. A plan was forming in his mind.

He interrupted Hank. "I know where Rogue is." Hank paused and glanced at him over the side of his shoulder. Logan looked ready to jump at him again. "And if you take this to the government, you'll never see her again."

Logan growled lowly. "The chips aren't all in your hand, bub. We've got you, don't we?"

"True." John allowed, "But we've got Rogue _and_ your money."

"I saw his face." Logan's eyes glittered. "I saw your partner's face. There ain't no way you're getting away with anything, kid. I'll track him down, and then I'll tear ya to shreds. How's that sound?"

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. John kept a calm face, even though he was terrified of Logan, he wouldn't show it. That could be fatal. "Tearing us to shreds will neither get your money back or Rogue. I suggest something else."

Logan snorted, but Hank set down his hands on the side of John's table. "What is it that you're offering, John?"

"You can't have Rogue yet." John knew that Pietro and Remy would come for him. He just needed to buy some time. "We need to do some memory recon with her. She's a bit too familiar with the plan." Logan growled lowly, tightening his fists. "But after that's done, I propose a trade. Immunity from your government and punishment and me, for Rogue."

Logan's fist slammed down, dangerously close to his head. "That doesn't solve anything!"

John relaxed back on his table. "I'll let you think about it for a bit. Come back and see me later." His job was done. He had bought a few hours. Now if only Remy and Pietro would hurry up, he had to warn them. Rogue could _Not _be lost, at any cost.

--------

**Dinner was actually decent.** Remy knew how to cook, that was for sure. Most wouldn't be able to hold his spicy Cajun food, but Rogue used to eat it all the time when she lived in the south. She was used to it and she did miss the south's generous cuisine. Rogue wolfed down her meal and helped herself to seconds. She was starving. After not having eaten for a good two days, she felt she was entitled.

Remy watched her closely as she nearly choked down her meal; he smiling thinly. "Y' hungry o' is it jus' dat good, _chere?_"

"Excuse meh fohr not eating anythin' fohr the last forty eight hours. Ah don't exactly get treated well here."

Remy mockly put his hand against his heart, as if offended. "Not treated well? When have y' not been treated like Remy's little princess, heh? Remy gives y' special attention, puts y' t' sleep, comforts y', an' dats all y' have t' say?"

"Your comfort is unwanted an' ya put meh ta sleep by overdosin' meh with sleepin' pills. Excuse meh for not especially bein' grateful."

"Oh, y' excused. Y' don't have t' beg."

Rogue noticed that Pietro was staring at her again. He'd been doing that since he walked through the door and almost all dinner. She glared at him. "Do ya mahnd?"

Pietro shook his head. "What?"

"Stop lookin' at meh."

"I'm not looking at you." Pietro blinked.

"Yes, ya are. Stop it. Remy's enough, Ah don't need ya ta start obsessively watchin' meh too."

"See, _chere,_ Remy told y' de outfit made y' cute."

Rogue returned to her food, not responding to Remy's comment, aware of the eyes burning into her figure. Wanda gave Pietro a shrewd look and stood up. "I'm leaving."

Remy jumped to his feet. "_Non,_ not tonight y' aren't. Y' gotta watch Roguey."

Wanda stared at him incredulously. "Do I look like a babysitter to you?"

"Someone's gotta watch her." Remy argued reasonably.

"And what are you doing? Going to the bar?"

Remy moved next to Pietro and hugged him around the shoulders. "We gotta save Johnny."

"Why don't you just knock her out?"

Rogue stared at them. "Ah'm right here. Ah cahn hear what ya sayin'."

They ignored her. "_Non,_ even if Remy knocked her out, she could still possibly cause trouble." Remy didn't want Rogue to watch another dream of him and Bella. Rogue had said it faded with time; he'd keep her conscious as long as he could.

"Unconscious?"

"She's a feisty _fille."_

"I don't care." Wanda stood firm. "I'm _not_ staying here to baby-sit your little slut."

"Ah'm not his little slut!"

-------

**"They haven't fixed security yet."** Remy absently commented, noting the lack of the thin red light against the ground.

"Are you sure?"

"Remy's always sure."

Pietro stared at the complex ahead of him. It shouldn't be hard to rescue John in the dead of night, especially if the security was already off. "Where do you suppose he is?" That was the only problem. Pietro would need to find John quickly so he wouldn't be detected and alert everyone to their presence.

"In de basement. Dey have a medical lab facility dere with restraints. He be dere."

"You're sure?" Pietro asked, just to check.

"Remy's _always_ sure. How many times he got t' tell y'?"

"Okay, okay, just checking.

Remy fiddled with his cigarette. "Do y' dink we should o' brought de car?"

Pietro shook his head. "We won't need it."

"Well, since y' obviously don' need Remy t' work de security, he's goin' t' take off, _oui? _De _filles_ don' exactly get along."

"Okay. I'll be there shortly after you." Remy nodded and left. Pietro leaned against a nearby tree. He would wait for a little, wait for it to be darker. More into night. It'd just be easier to slip away.

-----

**Wanda and Rogue sat on opposite ends of the couch, staring at the television and casting occasional glares at the other.** Rogue absolutely hated silences and the silence between Wanda and her was thick enough to cut with a knife. Wanda apparently didn't like her because she thought she was Remy's slut and Rogue didn't like Wanda because of her vain image of her and Remy. Rogue had to break the silence. "Ah'm not a slut."

Wanda cast another disdainful glance at her. "Excuse me?"

"What ya said before, Ah'm not a slut."

"So you've said." Wanda's eyes narrowed. She really didn't like Rogue. Any girl Remy brought home was a girl to stay away from. "Yet, there remains the fact that you optionally came here with Remy and you dress as if you stripping is a regular activity for you."

Rogue frowned and sat back further in the couch. "Ah was drunk when Remy picked meh up an' Ah don't have anythin' else ta wear." She had to add. "An' your clothes don't exactly yell 'I'm a virgin' either."

Wanda's eyes flashed dangerously. "Right. And it's not degradingly slutty in any way to get wasted at a bar to be picked up by a charming Cajun and to wake up in his bed. That happens to every girl."

But Rogue wasn't done. Wanda had made her angry with her insistence against seeing the facts. Rogue was a victim. Remy was just an antagonizer. "At least Ah wasn't aware of what was happenin' when it did. But ya, ya dress like a low-grade slut ta match ya dirty attitude towards everythin'. Ah bet ya have those kinds of nights all the tahme. They would fit inta ya lousy life perfectly."

Wanda had been pushed too far. "Talking about lousy lives? Look at yours. You can't even touch anything without coverage." At Rogue's startled and hurt look, she pressed onward, charging her advantage. "Yeah, I heard your whole conversation with Remy. You're just a stupid, punk-ass little whore who can't even get what she wants because she can't touch anyone. You think you can ever have a relationship like that? It's no wonder your boyfriend broke up with you. No one would put up with you-"

"Shut up." Rogue hissed lowly; Wanda had breached the line.

"No, I won't. You and your depressing little 'feel so bad for me, I can't touch' self can go shove it-"

Rogue leapt up and jumped at Wanda, enraged and near tears. Before her outstretched, gloved hands could find their way to Wanda's throat, or even before she landed, something caught Rogue from the ceiling. A fan blade had twisted completely off of the fan above them and wound around Rogue's stomach, suspending her in air.

Wanda's eyes were gleaming. "I don't think so, leech." The fan blade pulled back, taking Rogue with it. Rogue's back met with the wall painfully and her head jounced back against the plaster. The wooden blade, disfigured already, began to shift again so that it extended in length and shrunk in width. It curled around Rogue's back, slithering under her arms and over her chest, around the right side of her neck, coming all the way back to the front and locking just below her chin. The bottom half of the wooden plank curled in-between Rogue's legs, making her gasp for a second before continuing its rout down, curling first around her right leg, then traveling to her left, before tightly locking the two together. Rogue hung, suspended in air, chin forced up as Wanda tightly clenched her teeth and approached Rogue.

Rogue hovered down a bit until she was eyelevel with Wanda. The wood under her chin forced her head to tilt back and look up, but Wanda was still clearly seen in front of her. "You don't know me. Don't speak like you understand my pain." The wooden snake that the fan-blade had become tightened, nearly choking Rogue. Rogue gasped for air, every breath hurt, her chest heaved against the wooden restraint. "You understand nothing."

Wanda turned away and snapped her fingers. The wooden snake immediately uncoiled and Rogue dropped to the floor, gasping for air. Her outfit was already tight around her stomach and her cut off from air only further hurt. Rogue sprawled on all fours, heaving in breaths as if air were water.

Her head snapped up and she watched Wanda calmly walking away, presumably to her room. "Don't even think of trying to escape." The last straw. Rogue ripped off her right glove and quickly closed the distance between her and Wanda. She jumped on the woman's back and curled her entire bare arm around Wanda's equally bare neck, wrapping her legs around Wanda's torso so she wouldn't fall.

"Understand this, bitch!"

Wanda faltered, futilely grabbing at Rogue's arm. But Rogue's mutation had already started zapping away at her strength. She sunk to her knees, unable to even support her own weight, yet still, Rogue held on. Only when she completely fell limp did Rogue let go and carelessly push her to the side.

Rogue's head pounded. Unfamiliar scenes, memories, a dour personality washed over her like a tidal wave overtaking a small person. She was drowned in a sea of emotions, desires, feelings that weren't hers. She put a hand to her head, but it did nothing to stop the ever-flowing images of Wanda's life.

Staggering, Rogue found her feet and started to run. She needed to get out of there. She ran to the door and her hand flicked out. The door opened on its own. Rogue didn't stop to marvel at this, but quickly ran out. She was making her escape, she'd be free! She ran on the porch, making her way down the driveway when-She crashed directly into Remy. Remy grinned. "Tryin' t' escape on ol' Remy?"

Her thoughts raced. Who she was? She didn't know. She had to go-to leave, to struggle. She was so close to her freedom, only Remy blocking the way. Rogue stuck out her arm to swing at him and the gravel beneath his feet curved around his ankles. The blast of unfamiliar power drained her. She couldn't tell what had happened, but she somehow understood it completely, yet didn't. Rogue screamed shrilly and fainted in his arms.

**_A/N: Thanks to everybody who does review. I very much appreciate your comments and you are the reason for rapid updates._**


	5. Road Trip

**The mansion passed his features in a slow motion blur.** As a child, Pietro had learned that time slowed down the faster someone went, and that if a certain person was going fast enough, time would even stop. He hadn't been able to actually experience that for a few years afterwards, when he was eight and it was forced upon him, but when he had, he enjoyed some of the best experiences of his life. 

He was twelve when he first tried to walk on water. Over a small pond in the middle of a park, he readied himself and dashed across the water. When he found out he could actually walk on water, well, run more likely, he had been so thrilled. Thus, his daredevil stunts began.

They started out small and simple. He ran through cornfields, completely obliterating the farmer's crops and making messages in the fields. It had been funny to watch the television broadcast of his work the next day, asking the audience if they believed in aliens and rubbish like that. He alone knew better.

The stunts gradually grew. He would run along the railings of long staircases, not even faltering in his step, to running up against the sides of vertical buildings, which he hadn't mastered yet, but he was working on it, all the way to running across lakes. Pietro had raced bullets and won, he was the fastest man alive.

His powers weren't without their drain. They did take a toll against him. At first, he'd absolutely hated the backlash, even going so far as to specifically not using his mutant ability because he was afraid of the after-effect wipe out. But, as time progressed, that wipe out grew smaller and smaller each time, to the current day where he barely felt it at all. He had mastered a good portion of his mutation.

But it wasn't all good. With his mutation came anxiety. Life always seemed to be going by too slow; it was all a breeze to him. He couldn't stand cars, hated them completely. They took away the feel of the wind, they went far too slow, and they seemed almost to purposely irritate him. Pietro had run in front of cars many times, just to prove to himself how much better of a runner than he was than the four wheeled vehicles that annoyed him so much. Being able to travel the world at such a swift pace made the world's normal pace much too slow, almost dragging against him.

With that had come a certain arrogance that couldn't be avoided in a case like his. Pietro was much faster than anyone or any machine. He could outrun race cars, cross over water ways, run up the sides of buildings, anything he wanted to do. His powers ensured that he would always be one step ahead of everybody else, even if that other mutant had superior powers to his own; he was always faster, able to evade, able to fight.

Pietro took the time to analyze the mansion as he passed through. It wasn't like the kids inside wouldn't feel him pass by or miss the momentary blur of color as he bypassed them, but Pietro was much too confident to care. Nobody could catch him. He was Quicksilver.

He was in the basement before anyone could even question the sudden gust of wind that had bypassed them. His shoes skidded against the floor as he came to a halt, taking away a good portion of the heels with them. Nobody was in the room, besides a startled, strapped down John who lay down back against a hard metal table.

"Did you take long enough to get here?" John asked, shaking his head. "You would think that the fastest mutant on the face of the earth could save me just seconds after my capture, but noo. Take your good old time with it, why don't you? Come on, get these off me already." He indicated the leather straps they had used to bind him down.

"We were busy." Pietro explained simply.

"Pfft, yeah right. Doing what, playing Halo?"

Pietro took his time in reaching John's table and slowly undid the straps. John grunted, but waited for him to finish with his exaggerated show of taking longer than necessary. Once his first wrist was free, he yanked it over to his other side and undid the other as Pietro unbound his feet.

John hopped off the table, dusted himself off, even though there wasn't anything to wipe off, and looked back up at Pietro. "Is Remy waiting out front?"

"No. He went home already."

John gave him a disdainful look. "How the hell are we going to get home? You going to carry me?"

"Is there something wrong with that?"

John bristled. "That's not gay."

"Nobody's going to see it. Shut up already." Pietro held out his arms for John. Still cursing about it, John let Pietro pick him up. "Close your eyes. My eyes have resistance to deterioration at high speed, but yours don't." Giving Pietro a grave look, John did as he was told.

Exactly ninety two seconds later, they were back home. Pietro skidded to another halt, further ruining his already slim-heeled shoes, and dropped John. Remy was standing in the driveway, holding an unconscious Rogue. A thick layer of gravel was wound around his ankles, binding him to the spot.

"You try something with Wanda again?" Pietro asked, staring down hard at Remy. He repetively told the mutant to stop trying things with his sister, but Remy just didn't listen to anything he said. The Cajun could be so thick and arrogant at times.

Remy glanced back over his shoulder, seeing the new-comers. "Hey Johnny." He turned to Pietro, awkwardly balancing Rogue in his arms and managing to twist nearly completely in a 180 degree turn just the same. "Dis may be suprisin' t' y', but Remy had nothin' t' do with dis one. De _filles _must o' had a little fight. Too bad we weren't around t' watch, _heh?_"

Pietro shook his head as John came around the other side of him and took Rogue from his arms, glancing down at her strangely before addressing them. "It doesn't matter, we have to get going. It'll be easier if Rogue's unconscious."

"Wanda is too." Remy added helpfully. He slightly charged four cards and dropped them near his ankles. They exploded with an overly-loud pop and the gravel around Remy's ankles crumbled, so that he was able to lift his feet out.

"Wait, what? Why would we have to leave?"

"Jus' fo' a little bit." Remy assured him. "So de Wolvie fella don't track us."

"Yeah, Wolverine can follow a person's scent to an area. We'll just have to drive out fo-" John paused, suddenly frowning at Remy. "Wait a second. How do you know about Wolverine?"

"Remy did his research. He's not completely unfamiliar with de mansion, either."

John continued to give him a look, but Pietro groaned. "We have to drive out?"

John nodded, taking his attention away from Remy. "Yeah, the car's fumes will block out our scents almost completely. He won't be able to follow us." At Pietro's still depressed look, he added. "You can take the motorcycle."

"Hey! Dat's Remy's!"

"Just let him, Remy. He'll complain all night if you don't."

Remy grumbled something under his breath that was probably better off not being heard. Pietro stalked off, presumably to get Remy's bike out. Remy grinned. "Well, Remy jus' be on his way t' get Wanda-"

"Hold up there, hotshot. I don't think so." John pushed Rogue back into his arms. Again, he glanced down at her strangely and added. "You pick out that outfit, Remy?" Remy just smiled. "She does look hot in it." He admitted. And he was off to drag Wanda's unconscious body into the car.

Remy hoisted Rogue over his shoulder and trotted the short distance to the car. The car was a tinted-windowed black cruiser sedan. Its sleek black frame only emphasized the power it surely held. Flopping Rogue down in the backseat, he opened the other back door and sat down. He could let John drive. He would stay in the backseat, with Rogue. He grinned down at her unconscious form and pulled her head into his lap, face up, he twiddled with her hair. Whatever the case, Wanda and Rogue should be separated. Wanda could stay in the front seat with John, but the backseat was all his.

---------

"**Remy, damnit!" **The car skidded as John avoided another little creature on the road. "Would you stop touching her? She's not even conscious! If she was awake, I'm sure she wouldn't want your fingers exploring her body. Just leave her be, alright?"

Remy took his hand off Rogue's covered stomach and grinned at John. "What's it t' y'? Y' don't care 'bout all de other _filles_ dat Remy touches."

"She's different." John grunted, turning his eyes back to the road. "She's not one of your hoes that you bring home every night. Just let her be, alright? You can keep her in your lap if you like, but stop touching her." Remy's sticky fingers were really getting to him.

"Does Johnny have a little crush on Roguey?" Remy's smile widened. "Is dat why he's so protective of his _cherie_?" Remy's fingers danced, just barely grazing Rogue's equally as covered thighs, antagonizing John.

John felt a surge of anger on behalf of Rogue. "Quit it, Remy! She was one of my good friends when I went to Xavier's, okay? She's already crushed under the pressure of not being able to touch anyone, the last thing she needs is to be raped by your greedy fingers."

Remy frowned, moving his hands away from Rogue's thighs. "Remy doesn't rape. De _filles _are all willin' with him."

"Then don't start," John replied irritably, "'cause I guarantee Rogue's not willing."

"Remy jus' havin' some fun…"

John took a deep breath. He knew Remy's nature. Remy was just like that. "Some people don't enjoy your jokes, Remy. You've been torturing Rogue for the past few days already, I'm sure. Just cut it down a little, alright? The outfit is cute, but I bet she's ready to kill you for making her wear that. Tone it down, please?" John was asking? With the word please? Remy had never even heard him use the word. "She's not like other girls, Remy. She's real touchy about that stuff; you're probably making her want to cry." John really cared for Rogue. Bobby and Rogue had been two of his best friends at the mansion. He didn't respect her desire to get the cure, but she hadn't after all, so he wouldn't hold it against her. He was mad at Bobby for not understanding his need to get out, but Rogue had always listened to him. They used to talk for hours about everything, from the deep things all the way to light, funny matters. She had been a good friend. He'd repay her that courtesy, at least.

"_Desole, _Remy didn't mean t' hurt de _fille_…Remy don't hurt _filles._"

"It's not me you should apologize to. Just keep it in mind. Don't push it too far, some things are funny, some aren't. Know the difference."

Remy didn't respond. John checked in the rearview mirror to make sure he hadn't started up again. Remy was leaning back in the seat, closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep, John supposed. John knew he had gotten the message, though, because Remy simply didn't apologize when he didn't mean it. He turned his gaze on Wanda's still unconscious form before checking that Pietro was still behind them. All was silent.

--------

_**It had become an obsession.** After Lorna's death, he swore that he'd never witness another one of his children's deaths. This was a way to ensure that. He would make sure they were powerful, could stand up to anything, not be knocked down by society. Besides, he needed them to be mutants. Lorna hadn't been, or if she had, her powers hadn't shown up, even in her final moments of peril. He had to make sure they were protected._

_It was finally ready. After degrading, failed trial after failed trial, to finally have concocted the right thing! He had waited years for it to happen and now it was finally time to see. _

_The formula was a brilliant masterpiece, something only a genius could come up with. He had hired four of the smartest scientists in all the world to come up with his solution. And now, here it was. In two little clear cups, the blue liquid shimmered. It was beautiful. And he was the only holder of such a formula in all the world. There could never be enough for everyone. No, he had used the last of a rarely known element called Grioffet. Almost nobody knew it even existed, but when Erik had heard of it and its unusual enhancing capability, he knew he would need it._

_It didn't matter that one of the scientists, a certain Hank McCoy who was generous enough to test the liquid on himself, had manifested a dire mutation on the spot that covered him with blue fur all over his skin. It didn't matter that his life was probably ruined, due to Erik's obsession with the project, or that the other scientists had fled the lab in terror after having witnessed their creation. Erik barely even heard Hank's words. 'It would seriously hurt-even possibly kill anyone who didn't already have the mutant gene in them.' It only mattered that it worked._

_The liquid was an enhancer. Its sole purpose was to enhanced genes. The liquid would delve into the system, alerting the cells to the presence of a new gene. If the child in question held a mutant gene that had not yet been shown, it would age the genes to the point where the mutant gene would become apparent in the child, regardless of age, maturity, or psychological mental state. In simple terms, it would force out a mutation. If there was no mutant gene to be found, it would create one and evolve the mutation. _

_He carried the liquid upstairs with him and stopped outside Wanda's door. He gently pushed the door in and peeked inside, smiling as he saw Wanda and Pietro playing together on the floor. Those two always got along so well. Pietro pulled out another tedious block from the Jenga tower and the whole thing toppled down on his hand. He squeaked and pulled his hand away._

"_Ow." He frowned, almost ready to cry. Erik made to step inside, but Wanda was quicker._

"_Lemme see." Pietro gingerly held out his hand and Wanda inspected the damage. It was a little red, but that was all. She patted it lightly. "There, you're all better."_

_Pietro sniffed, but smiled at Wanda all the same. "Thanks, sis."_

_Erik stepped inside. "How's my little munchkins?"_

_Wanda turned to him and grinned broadly. "Daddy!" She ran up to him and hugged him around the knees, the highest point she could reach at the time._

"_Hey there," Erik squatted down so that he was eye to eye with her. "How you doing, sweetheart?"_

"_We're fine. Jenga just fell on Pietro, but I fixed him." She smiled broadly, happy of her accomplishment. Erik smiled warmly at her and tickled her under the chin._

"_That's good." He let her sit down again. "Guess what daddy finally has?"_

"_What's that daddy?" Erik brought around his other hand that held the two cups of blue liquid. "Ohh! You made us cool-aide!" _

"_That's right. Except, this is a special kind of cool-aide. It'll make you strong and it'll turn you into a very special person with super powers."_

_Pietro stared at him. "Like a mutant on the news! I want some!"_

_But Wanda was more hesitant about it. "I dunno, daddy. I don't really want super powers." Erik was persistent. At such a young age, Wanda wouldn't understand why he needed her to be protected, but he did. He would be able to train her young so that she was capable and able as an adult, so that she wouldn't be overtaken. _

_Pietro readily drank his. He fell asleep on the spot; the process overwhelmed his small body, draining it of his strength. But it must have worked._

_Wanda still was resilient to it. She couldn't possibly know Erik's reasons for making her drink it, couldn't know that he was trying to protect her from the world, couldn't know that he was only trying to love her. All she knew was that he forced her to drink the liquid and the pain that came afterwards._

_Wanda hadn't had a mutant gene to begin with. The blue liquid sunk into her system and immediately began its work. Fire raced through her body, making her convulse and scream in pain as her genes rejected the new invader. Her bloodstream clashed, confused by the two different blood cells in the one body. Her body rejected the liquid. New cells formed rapidly and grew, grew beyond a point they should have at her young age. Her body began to mutate. She was becoming a mutant. _

_Wanda shook and cried; she screamed and begged her daddy to help her, to stop the pain. Erik's face loomed above hers. "Shh, my child. Everything will be alright." No apology, no true concern, only wonder at the liquid's reaction. Wanda fell limp, but her body still convulsed, not releasing her from her torture, even in unconsciousness. It was on that day that Wanda's dislike towards Erik began. It only built stronger as time passed, from dislike to hate and from hate to the point of absolutely loathing him. He had caused her so much pain, even as a little kid…he would pay.  
_

**Rogue's body jerked as she woke and immediately she tried to sit up. **Her head collided with something hard and she fell back down. Rogue blinked away the tears, trying to clear her vision enough to see what she had smashed her head into.

Blearily, Remy's face came into vision. He shook his head, putting one hand to the spot that Rogue had hit. Rogue's eyes widened. "AHH!" She sat up again, nearly hitting Remy once more, but evading by only a fraction of an inch. She backed up until her head banged against something behind her only a few feet from Remy. Rogue's eyes searched her surroundings desperately. She was in a car.

"Sorry, _chere_, forgot y' were dere."

Rogue's head spun as her eyes analyzed her surroundings. "Why am Ah in a car? Where are ya takin' meh?!" Her hand clutched at the door handle. Even though they were moving pretty fast, Rogue would jump out to escape. She had had enough of her captivity. She tried the handle-it was stuck. Someone had put the child lock on.

Remy shook his head one last time before turning to her. "We're leavin' town fo' a bit."

That did not bode well with Rogue. She just wanted to go home. How had just a few drinks turned into this mess? Now they were taking her out of town? "Why?" She fought to keep her voice hard and not shaky. She didn't want Remy to know how scared she was.

"So we don' get tracked down."

Rogue's head fell back against the glass window. "When are ya jus' gunna let meh go?"

Remy shrugged. "T' be honest, _cherie,_ Remy don' know."

"Stop calling meh that."

"Sorry, Rogue." Rogue's head snapped down and her eyes locked with Remy's. Remy had never listened to her demands before. What was going on? And he apologized? Usually, his sincere moments were quickly followed by some absurd, demoralizing joke. Rogue waited for it. "We're goin' t' stop pretty soon an' den y' can get some normal clothes an' such, _heh_?" Remy turned his gaze to the window, watching the scenery flash by. Up front, John gave a short smile.

What the hell was going on? For sure, Remy couldn't have just said that. Get normal clothes? What in the world? Rogue's gaze fell upon John, who was driving. "John? Ya're back?"

"Yeah, well, the X-Men don't hold onto a kid too long when his buddies are around."

"Ya were caught?" Rogue hadn't known that.

John shrugged. "Yeah, but now I'm back, so it doesn't matter."

"Y' have a smudge on y' forehead." Remy looked at her. Rogue expected him to lean over and try to wipe it off himself, but he didn't. "Right above y' left eye dere." He turned back to the window.

Rogue rubbed above her eye and her finger came away smudged. Rogue stared at Remy for a good two minutes before someone shrieked from the front passenger seat. Rogue couldn't see from before, but Wanda had been slouched down against the seat. Wanda sat bolt upright, breathing heavily and perspirating. John glanced at her uncertainly. "Another nightmare?"

Wanda gave him a look that warned off all further questions. "Where are we going?"

John shrugged. "Nowhere yet, just out of town. Can't risk being tracked by Logan."

Wanda spun in her seat, seeing Remy in the backseat, staring out the window, before her eyes fell on Rogue. "You," She spat, the nearest back head rest began to twist out of shape, curving around Rogue's nose and mouth. Rogue squeaked and made to grab at the material. A red jet of light shot out of her fingers and completely righted the head rest back into its original shape and position.

Wanda and Rogue both froze. Rogue stared down at her fingers in amazement, which were both gloved again; someone must have pulled on her other glove while she was unconscious. Wanda stared down hard at Rogue, eyes narrowed and lip curling. Rogue's eyes rose to meet Wanda's hostile glare. She flinched back. "Sorry." Rogue didn't particularly know why she was apologizing, but it felt right. After witnessing what had been forced upon Wanda as a kid, Rogue kind of felt bad for the fight they had the other night. Wanda really did have a lousy life.

Something struck Rogue. Pietro had been in the dream, calling Wanda sis. They were siblings? And even further, Erik had been there too. "Erik's ya father?" The words just slipped out, Rogue hadn't meant to say them, but she had. John glanced over at Wanda cautiously as Remy turned from the window. All eyes were focused on Wanda. Nobody brought up Wanda's father, Remy and John both knew that. They'd have to warn Rogue against it later if she didn't already get the picture now.

Wanda's jaw tightened. "Where did you hear that?" Her voice was low and dangerous. Rogue was frightened by the mere sound of it.

"Ah-Ah'm sorry…" Rogue wasn't sure what to say.

Dark eyebrows scrunched in anger as her eyes flashed dangerously. Her eyes zipped around the car at everyone before landing back on Rogue. "We're going to talk later and you're going to tell me everything you saw."

Rogue swallowed thickly and Wanda turned away. A heavy silence fell over the car, thick as a curtain and unbroken in its stillness. _I'm a flirt. Soon as I see her walk up in da club, I'm a flirt. Winkin' eyes at me when I roll up on dem dubs, I'm a flirt.  
Sometimes when I'm wit' my chick on the low, I'm a flirt. And when she's wit' her man lookin' at me, damn right, I'm a flirt. So, homie don't bring your girl to me to meet, 'cause I'm a flirt. And baby don't bring your girlfriend to eat 'cause I'm a flirt. _The chorus of 'I'm a flirt' started up, breaking the stillness in the car. Remy nodded his head to the music for a second before it occurred to him that his phone was ringing. "Oh! Dat's Remy's." Remy plucked out his cell phone from his back pocket.

"_Bonjour._"

"Remy," The tone was serious and grave; Remy recognized it instantly and frowned. "Y' need t' come back." Remy needed no further details to know where to head.

"John, turn south. We headin' t' New Orlenes." He listened intently as the situation was described to him. His frown only deepened.


	6. Recruit

**Kurt took the drawing pad from Logan and inspected his work.** "This is a pretty good drawing, Logan. You should teach art." His accent lightly coated his words, making his words more pronounced and bold with unnecessary 'vth' sounds attached.

"Shut up, fuzzball." Logan quickly amended, not wanting Ororo to get any ideas. It was bad enough that Ororo had him training in the danger room already. To change the subject, he added. "The eyes are red on black. Demonic-like."

Ororo tore her glance away from the computer screen behind which Kitty was typing and looked at Logan suddenly. "Red on black? Let me see that picture." Kurt handed her the picture and as Ororo caught her first glimpse, she immediately recognized the man. "I know this man!"

Logan stood, walking behind Ororo, trying to not appear overly-anxious. Kurt followed him, looking over Ororo's shoulder. "Who is he?"

"He's an old acquaintance. Remy LeBeau, member of the Thieves' Guild from New Orleans. He saved my life a few times…are you sure this is who you saw? That his eyes were red and black?"

"I wouldn't mistake them. That's exactly the guy I saw. Why? He's not into kidnapping?"

Ororo shook her head, a frown gracing her pretty features. "No, he's a thief. And something of a charmer…I can't see how he'd unite with John. He usually doesn't work with others very well."

"Well, we did just lose sixteen billion dollars, didn't we?" Kurt pointed out logically.

"Still…" Ororo was hesitant to believe Remy would have anything to do with it. Sure, Remy was a thief and a charmer, he gambled and drank, but he had a good heart. She couldn't imagine him stealing from the school. A school that he knew Storm attended, nonetheless, a school for mutants, a haven. She would have thought that he, of all people, would understand the need for such a place and leave them alone. Also, Ororo wasn't aware that he did huge thefts, as such. Apparently so. "I'm going to call him."

Logan and Kurt stared at her. "What?"

"I'm going to call him." Ororo repeated. "See if he's with John, if he has Rogue."

"You expect him to just tell you the truth?" Logan asked, abashed. "He'll lie through his teeth. If he was a part of stealing from the school, you can't expect him to just say 'yeah, I have Rogue, come and get her'."

Ororo shook her head and began making her way to the office telephone. "I don't."

Kitty threw up her hands. "I give up! I'm never going to be able to trace it. He must have wired it through several different banks, underground ones at that. I can't trace it."

Logan growled lowly. "No, you will. You're the main reason Rogue ran off." As Kitty opened her mouth to protest, Logan went on. "Bobby already confessed to me that he broke it off with Rogue that same day only hours before the kid said she disappeared out the window. He broke it off for you. And now, Rogue's gone because of it. You're going to keep looking and you're not going to complain." Kitty shrunk under Logan's harsh glare and cruel words. She hadn't known Rogue ran off that same night. So it _had_ been her fault.

Kitty began to start her search over, after reaching yet another dead end, before Ororo stopped her. "Kitty, can you trace calls?"

"I can try…" Kitty admitted, unsure. She had done it before, but that was different. It had all been set up for her the previous time. Now she'd have to hack into the system herself.

Kitty unplugged a cord at the back of the phone and hooked it up into the computer. Ororo started dialing just as another presence joined them.

"Seems like the X-Men have some problems."

Ororo dropped the receiver. The voice was the same. She turned to behold a black haired, green eyed woman standing in the doorway. The body structure, the face, minus the yellow eyes, blue skin, and red hair, were all the same.

Logan would have recognized her scent anywhere, if they hadn't made the connection already. "Mystique." He growled lowly, her name was barely audible against the hatred in the rumble.

"I didn't come to fight." She replied simply, as if that cleared everything up. Logan, Kurt, and Ororo remained on guard, ready to pounce at Mystique if she made any move to attack. Kitty completely froze. She had never actually seen the woman before, not in blue form or her natural form, but she had heard much about her from Rogue and different sources. "I came here to make a bargain."

"What do you want, Raven? You're not a welcome presence here."

"I couldn't tell." Nobody chuckled at the light joke. Mystique's tone was unchanged, as if she were having a normal day conversation with her florist. "It's under my realization that the X-Men have gone under a certain…bank deficient." Mystique smiled thinly, as if the prospect was amusing to her. "I have, over the years of working with Magneto, acquired separate funds. After Magneto left me, he neglected to change his accounts, which I transferred all the money to me." Mystique's voice had gained a hard edge, she was resentful. "If my wishes are met, I'd be more than willing to donate the lot to Xavier's school. And I assure you, it's in separate accounts. No one would be getting at it, as I see you're old accounts have grown…away."

Logan didn't trust Mystique in any way. The woman had tried to kill him, Rogue, all of them on numerous occasions. There was no reason, other than revenge for Magneto, that she'd have a change of heart.

Ororo surprised him. "And what are these wishes of yours, Raven?"

"Simply to stay here. I could even teach, if you wanted."

Ororo's jaw tightened. "And why would you want to reside here, of all places?"

"Well, I do happen to have…acquaintances here. Besides, are you not against Magneto? For that's all I care for. We have a mutual desire, we both don't want Magneto to cause such another upset as Alcatraz."

"Magneto was shot with the cure. He is simply Erik now."

Mystique's eyes flashed. Ororo gasped and her eyes narrowed. Mystique thinly smiled. "You didn't truly think, Ororo, that the cure would be permanent? Surely our species is stronger than anything the humans can concoct with science. We are evolved, Ororo. People evolve with time, they don't go back."

That was bad. That meant that all the mutants who had sided with Magneto to cause Alcatraz would regain their powers. Magneto would get his power source back too. "There's still time to find him before it happens. I can barely just switch a few, dismal features. Soon, it will all come back though, and you don't want that to happen while the school is broke. Think of the children, Ororo." Mystique was cunning. She was using everything she could against Ororo. "Will you send them back to their homes? Most don't even have homes, I'm sure. How will you protect them?"

Logan's jaw tightened. Mystique was purposely directing everything towards Ororo. Ororo, being the headmistress of the school, had the final say in everything and it looked as if she'd have no other choice in this matter. Mystique's 'funding' was sure to come in some kind of illegal way, Logan didn't doubt that, but that wasn't what bothered him. Mystique wanted to stay on to the school? She must have had some other motive. Why was the true question.

They stayed staring at each other for a long time. Neither knew how much time passed, but it really didn't matter. The decision was already made.

--

"**Ah have ta go ta the bathroom."** Rogue couldn't keep her mouth shut about it anymore. She had thought that John would stop somewhere along the way, but they had been driving for five hours straight without stop.

"We'll stop at the next gas station. We need to fill up anyway." John glanced back at her before motioning at Pietro with a wave of his arm to get off on the nearest exit ramp. Rogue rested her head back against the head rest that had been an evil weapon before, she was tired.

"Tired, _chere_?" Rogue let the nickname go. She was too tired to start a verbal fight with Remy again. And Remy had been better about some things, so she'd let him go with it.

"A little." Rogue admitted. If Rogue was completely honest, she was exhausted. But Remy's improved morals to her had been a plus.

Remy gave her an all too familiar grin. "Remy could keep y' up." John gave him a look, but Remy ignored it. He was allowed to have just a little fun. He'd been good for the past few hours, that was nearly his limit.

Rogue's eyes closed. Regular Remy was back. "Please, don't start. Ya been doin' so well bein'…not perverted." Rogue opened her eyes and gave Remy a crude, suspicious look. "Why haven't ya been perverted?"

"Well, _chere,_ if y' preferred it, y' jus' had t' say somethin'." Rogue quickly shook her head and backed further into the door in case Remy got any ideas. "Didn' dink so. Remy was jus' feelin' bad fo' draggin' y' all over de country, he figured y' needed a break."

Rogue stared at him suspiciously. "Right."

"An' Johnny boy told Remy off."

Rogue's gaze spun onto John. He specifically kept his gaze forward, away from her questioning eyes. It wasn't that Rogue wasn't grateful for John's interference, but it was unexpected. After he left…

"We're here." John announced, successfully bringing Rogue out of her thoughts and avoiding the subject all together. John pulled up next to the gas pump. "Rogue…don't try to escape, alright? We'll be all around you, if you shout, we're just going to drive off with you. I guarantee police aren't going to be able to catch us, so don't make a ruckus, alright?"

"Okay." Rogue's word wasn't promising anything. If she found a way out, then she'd take it.

Wanda spoke for the first time since the mention of her father five hours ago. "I'll take her." John nodded to Remy who went around the side of the building as Wanda stepped out of the car and opened Rogue's door. Grabbing Rogue's arm in a grip that was a little tighter than necessary, she dragged Rogue off into the gas station and to the bathroom.

The bathroom was a one-toileted open area with yellow, stained walls and a small, broken window in the top corner above the toilet. Wanda locked the door behind her before turning back to Rogue and throwing her against the wall. Rogue's back hit the wall hard and her head jounced against the tile. Rogue felt an odd sense of de ja vu before Wanda came right up in front of her, holding her arms back above her head with one hand while pinning her mid-section against the wall by holding her there with an arm stretched taut. It wasn't completely necessary to hold Rogue in place, but Wanda probably just liked hurting her.

"What did you see in your vision?" Wanda's face was dangerously close to Rogue's. Her green eyes blazed with un-restrained anger and her jaw was clenched tightly in aggravation.

Rogue was afraid of Wanda. She'd admit that. After the woman nearly killed her for calling her life lousy, Rogue had been pretty sure that Wanda was insane. After seeing firsthand one of her experiences, Rogue felt a little bad for the woman, but that didn't completely justify Wanda's sour attitude or hatred at everything and everyone in the world.

"Pietro and ya were playing Jenga…" Rogue began. Wanda interrupted.

"How far did the vision go?" Obviously she remembered the experience. Wanda tightened her grip against Rogue's wrists. Rogue could feel Wanda's nails digging through her thick gloves and piercing her skin. She winced. "It ended when ya fell unconscious, but followed through ya anger."  
Rogue could feel the nails cutting through more of her skin. "Anything else?"

"No."

Wanda's grip released and she was nearly out the door before glancing over her shoulder at Rogue once. Cold eyes locked on Rogue's. Rogue could even detect a hint of hurt in Wanda's eyes. "If you ever tell anyone, I'll kill you." Rogue didn't doubt her. Wanda disappeared out the door without another word.

After taking care of her business, Rogue washed her hands and was about to open the door before a gust of wind blew her hair in her face. Rogue pushed back the strand of hair before it occurred to her. There was a window in the bathroom! An escape! Rogue turned and analyzed the window.

It was small, but Rogue thought she could fit through it. Closing the lid on the toilet, Rogue stood on the seat and reached upward. The window was already broken, so she didn't have to make noise breaking it herself. Her hands just touched the grass outside. Standing on tiptoes, Rogue locked her hands around the sides of the window and hoisted herself up.

Both her shoulders wouldn't fit at the same time, so Rogue went at an angle. Slipping one shoulder out first, she righted herself and just managed to squeeze the other one out. From there, Rogue didn't have any more support with her feet, so she had to hoist herself out the rest of the way. Firmly planting her hands flat against the side of the building, Rogue pushed as hard as she could at such a position.

She managed to pull herself out down to her hips. There, she fell upon a problem. She was too far out to push against the wall and she couldn't get a good grip on anything. Her hips were also bigger than her midsection, which made it more difficult to pull out. Rogue grabbed at chunks of grass and tried to pull herself out, but she couldn't. The grass was too weak and she couldn't squeeze her hips out. Frustrated, Rogue quickly dug two miniature handholds in the dirt and grabbed the edges of the holes, using the ground's strength to hoist her through.

It didn't work. No matter how hard Rogue tugged, she couldn't pull herself out. The dirt crumbled in her gloved fingers. Rogue couldn't move back or forward, with only a portion of her hips wedged in, she was stuck. Rogue huffed in desperation, cursing lowly under her breath.

"Havin' some trouble, _cherie_?" Oh great. Remy. Just what she needed. Not only was she stuck in a window, but now she'd have to put up with his practical jokes _and_ she had broken her word. John wouldn't trust her as much, which would just make future escape routs all the more difficult.

"Ah wasn't tryin' ta escape."

Remy grinned widely with that cocky, gorgeously annoying smile he had. "Y' weren't, _heh?_ Jus' dought y' enjoy de fresh air, did y'?" Remy crouched down next to her so that they were more at eyelevel. "Jus' between us, Roguey. Remy saw de whole attempt, curse dose curves, _heh?_ But don' worry, big butts are in nowadays."

"Ah do _not_ have a big butt." The words were out of her mouth before Rogue could stop them. She hadn't meant to say that, but she had, and it had come out very defensive and offended.

"De window might say differently." Rogue glared at him, her cheeks burning in humiliation, annoyed at his obvious joy he was taking in the situation. Remy chuckled. "Wait, Remy needs a picture. Dis is too priceless. Roguey, a mos' _belle fille_ o' her type, in a stripper suit halfway drough de window. Remy'll never see dat again!" Remy whipped out his cell phone and snapped several shots of her. "Dere, dat's perfect!"

"What happened ta ya bein' nice ta meh?" Rogue knew he wouldn't be polite forever, but so soon?

"Johnny's not around."

Rogue frowned. "Could ya help meh out instead of annoyin' meh ta death?" Rogue would have to steal his cell phone. No easy feat to steal something from a thief, but it must be done. She had to get rid of those pictures.

"Alrigh', Alright. Here we go." Remy flipped his cell phone down and pocketed it. He grabbed Rogue's hands and yanked back hard. Rogue's shoulders nearly popped out her sockets before she managed to wiggle free. To her dismay, Remy took her arm in his and led the way back to the car. Not only had the escape attempt been a failure, but she'd severely embarrassed herself during it. How much worse could the day get?

Everybody was already in the car and Pietro was back on his bike as Remy led Rogue back to her four-wheeled prison. He gently pushed her in and shut the door behind her, the child lock automatically clicking, before climbing in on his own side. "What took so long?" John asked, glancing back uncertainly at Remy. If he had tried anything again…

"Nothin'. Roguey was jus' a little confused as t' where de exit was." Rogue's face was bright red, her hands were consciously crossed over her stomach and she avoided his gaze. John uncertainly glanced between them.

"Rogue?"

"Yeah, that's what happened." Rogue replied a little too quickly. John quirked an eyebrow before turning back to the wheel and starting the car. Antagonizing her, Remy took out his phone and flipped through the number of pictures he had taken of her. Rogue tried to slide into the furthest corner, away from him.

_**I'M A FLIRT! **__Soon as I see her walk up in da club…_Remy nearly dropped his cell phone at the sudden noise. Sheepishly, he picked up.

"Remy?"

Rogue's eyes widened and she jumped at him. "STORM! HELP!" Was all she got out before Remy covered her mouth with his covered palm. Rogue was all too aware of how close his gloveless fingers were to her face. She tried to yell through his palm, but it only came out in muffled grunts.

"Little help back here?" Remy asked the front seat occupants.

Wanda didn't even glance back. The seating curved around Rogue's mouth as Remy removed his hand, efficiently cutting off all her air and voice as well as strangling her.

"Remy, let her go."

"Who, Stormy?"

Storm sighed heavily. "Remy, Rogue's got nothing to do with your robbery. Just let her go."

"Sorry Stormy, can't do that." Rogue's face started to pale. Remy held a hand over the phone. "A little less, Wanda! Y' stranglin' her." The seating around Rogue's mouth lifted slightly, but still kept firmly on.

"Remy…"

"Sorry Stormy, dis _homme_'s got t' go." He hung up. The seating around Rogue's mouth uncurved and fell back into its original place as if it had never changed. Rogue breathed in heavily.

"Remy, throw your cell phone out the window."

Remy gave John a look. "Why?"

"Because they can trace it! Just do it!"

Remy shook his head. "_Non_, not Remy's phone. Remy got his phone from de Guild. It's untraceable."

John gave him a doubtful look, but it was clear Remy wasn't going to throw out his cell phone. "Why can't ya jus' let meh go already? Everyone knows about ya robbery by now!"

"_Oui_," Remy agreed, "But dey don't know details like y'. An' y' bein' here is a bargainin' chip in our favor."

"Ah don't know details! Ah jus' got a rush of ya plan when ya touched meh!"

"_Oui,_ but y' could know details if y' tried t' look drough Remy's memories, which makes y' a liability. So, until Remy finds a new bank somewhere in Europe, y' definitely not allowed t' leave. An' even den, y' still a bargainin' chip."

Rogue stared at him. "Until ya find a bank? In Europe? Ya have ta go ta Europe ta get another bank there!"

Remy nodded, _"Oui, _dat's why ya still here."

John interrupted before the discussion could turn into a heated argument. "We got food at the station." He handed a bag back to Remy. "We should be in central New Orleans in five minutes. We'll get you clothes and stuff, Rogue." He was trying to calm her down. Rogue was glad that John was with them, at least she knew one of her kidnappers from before, but the realization brought little comfort. Remy had just revealed that she could be staying with them for a very long time.

Remy finished making a ham sandwich and held it out to Rogue. Rogue scooted over from her corner, ready to take it quickly so she wouldn't have to be near Remy for a long time. The sound of shattering glass was too sudden before a pain ripped through Rogue's shoulder, throwing her forward screaming and writhing.

Blood splattered against Remy. "Heads down! An' step on it!" Remy yelled to John, dropping the sandwich. Crouched low under the sight of the windows, he went to Rogue's shaking frame which had also fallen under the sight of the windows.

A fiery pain, worse than anything she had ever felt before, tore through her skin and launched her forward, face forward to the floor of the car. Her shoulder burned with relentless fire, as if someone were repetively jabbing her with a hot poker. She screamed and cried, her body shook uncontrollably as the pain overtook her whole shoulder, wracking her frame.

Getting shot was nothing like what it was played out to be in the movies, Remy could vouch for that. Quickly crawling over to Rogue's trembling frame, he could clearly see that the blood had already started to soak through her shirt. It was spreading by the second. Remy quickly stripped his shirt off and gently tied it around Rogue's shoulder, pressing down on the wound to prevent more blood flow. Rogue shuttered and tried to move away, but Remy held her in place. His hand on her wound was firm, but gentle.

John swerved to avoid a figure that had appeared in front of the car and the car slid into a store's front. Something thumped against the roof of the car.

"Dey're after me, y' guys run!" Remy directed at them.

John opened the car door and got out. Forgetting that the child lock was on, he clicked his lighter open and ignited a small flame that grew into a small fireball in his palm. "Go!" Remy yelled at him, frantically waving an arm. John didn't want to go. If there was a fight coming, he could be of use. But Remy wouldn't have any of it.

Wanda's door ripped off its hinges as she swiftly exited and Remy's motorcycle pulled up beside her. Pietro zipped off with a "Get on, go!" before picking John up and racing off, slowing his pace so that he could keep track of Wanda.

The black-clad figure with a red stripped face mask, red marked belt, and red bandana tied over his left leg started approaching the car. Remy lifted his hand off Rogue's back. "Stay down, don't move until Remy gets back." With that, Remy hopped through the front two seats and left through the front door, leaving Rogue alone and unprotected.

The figure, Remy couldn't determine which of the assassins it was, which meant it may be a new addition, leapt at him with a flying swing-kick. Remy barely avoided being kicked in the face, quickly ducking under the blow and wide sweeping his legs out, tripping the other figure. But that didn't appear to hamper the assassin at all. He quickly rolled out to Remy and pushed him back. Remy fell out of his crouched position and onto the pavement. From there, the figure jumped on him and attempted to pin him down.

Throwing back his shoulders, Remy kicked forward and partially regained his footing at a nearly ninety degree angle with the assassin still on top of him. Remy bucked his chest forward, throwing the assassin completely off. But the assassin was smooth too; he flipped back in a full aerial three-sixty summersault before effortlessly landing on his feet. Remy quickly reached into his pocket and quickly charged two cards. He flung them out at the fallen assassin and was rewarded when they exploded near the assassin's face, taking him by surprise and throwing him to the ground.

Remy moved forward, but the assassin was quicker. Wounded, he opted to flee. Flipping again in another overly-dramatic aerial summersault, he turned back and jumped on the nearest wall, climbing up it agilely as if he had trained for the very thing, finding all the right crevices in all the right areas quickly and efficiently. Remy watched him disappear before turning back to the car. The backdoor was already opened. The car was empty. Rogue was gone.

--

**Rogue tried to get away. **She tried the handle, temporarily forgetting the child lock before slowly and antagonizingly making her way to the middle of the car, where she could climb over to the front seat. Her shoulder screamed in protest, her body was weak with fatigue from the pain. She started to crawl over the middle seat before the back door was opened.

Glancing back over her shoulder, hoping to see Remy, Rogue gasped in pain and horror as an unfamiliar, gloved hand grabbed her wounded shoulder and yanked her back. Rogue opened her mouth to scream, but it was far too late. The figure covered her mouth with a completely covered palm and dragged her out of the vehicle. Fresh new pain tore through Rogue's shoulder, she couldn't even scream. Watery eyes closed as blackness engulfed her in the blessed mercy of unconsciousness. Rogue felt no more.


	7. Bandit

"**She's gone."**

John's eyes narrowed in anger and he jumped at Remy, unable to hold back his rage at the man. Tackling him to the ground, on top of him, he grabbed his shoulders. "You stupid, jackass, son of a bitch! You let her get away?" John lifted Remy's shoulders and thrust them back down, hard against the floor. Remy's head banged against the tile harshly as John grabbed his shirt to do it again. "You blundering, retarded, fu-"

"She was kidnapped! Dere was nothin' Remy could do!"

"WHAT?!" This statement was obviously not the right thing to say. It just made John angrier. He slammed Remy back down against the tile, not really caring about the Cajun's health. Remy winced. John made an inhumane dying animal sound as he lifted Remy's shoulders to further injure Remy's already bashed head.

Pietro grabbed John's arms and held him back. "Killing Remy won't get her back."

If looks could kill, Remy would be dead. John stood up off him, but not before backhanding him hard so that Remy's head snapped to the side. "We need to get her back!" John thundered, held back by Pietro, he could only glare at Remy.

Wanda leaned on the kitchen counter casually, picking at the dirt under her nails. "I don't see why. Wasn't the point to get rid of her?"

John's murderous gaze turned upon her, every look a challenge. "NO! It wasn't! We need to get her back now!"

Remy wiped blood from his split lip. "Johnny's got a crush, y' see."

Wanda's eyes found Remy's momentarily before she shook her head, returning to her nails. John tried to break Pietro's grip and jump at Remy again, but Pietro held tight. "Come on, John. Calm down. I'm sure she's alright. If they kidnapped her, they must want her for something."

"To hold as bait for Remy!"

"Dat's probably true." Remy stated calmly, licking his lip. "Den why disappoint? Remy jus' show up an' save de _fille_."

"Not without us!" John heatedly added.

Pietro frowned. "Do you even know who took her?"

"Well, see dat's de problem. De black dressed fella wasn't an Assassin, so we can count dem out." Remy ticked off on his fingers. "Maybe it was Bandit. He did steal Henri too. Y' can go see when Remy goes t' save Henri, if y' want." Remy stood. "Remy has t' visit his dad."

"You can't just leave!" John protested loudly, pulling out of Pietro's grip. "We need to go save her! Now!"

"Calm down, _homme._ We save de _fille_ in due time; Remy misses her too." John glared at him, Remy hurried on. "Remy's gotta get de printouts o' de place we invadin', _heh?_ Dat only make sense, t' know de basics before chargin' in." Remy dusted his duster off.

"You better be back soon." John's voice was low and dangerous; Remy had never heard John speak like that.

"Within de hour, Remy promise. He won' let Roguey wait." He left, leaving a fuming John behind to well in his anger. John slammed the door to his new room, claiming that he'd kill anyone that touched the door before Remy got home.

Pietro sighed and sat down at the table, rubbing his head tiredly. "Wanda, what if I said I've spoken to dad?"

Wanda didn't even look up from her nails. "Then I might kill you."

"What if I said he's sorry?"

Wanda's eyes did flash up this time, holding a dangerous glint. "If you're in contact with Erik and haven't told me, I'm going to kill you."

"I'm telling you now." Wanda's hands balled into fists. Pietro's chair started to curve in around him. "Stop, Wanda. Be mature about this."

"Mature?" The chair zapped back to its original shape, but Wanda's anger didn't fade. Her eyes almost seemed to flash scarlet. "You want me to be mature about it? He nearly killed me, damnit Pietro! You know what I've been through! That man you so lovingly call dad has raped me off all my trust and my life! What have you been hiding from me? Where is he?" Wanda was seething. She had thought Pietro was on her side with the matter of their father, yet now she discovered that he'd been seeing him all along?

"I don't know where he is. He just shows up occasionally and we talk." Pietro was being way too calm. Wanda was ready to murder him on the spot.

"About what?" Wanda's eyes flashed scarlet again. "His latest schemes in using me?"

"Mostly you, actually." Pietro disregarded everything shouted after the first question. "He was only trying to help you, Wanda."

"And look where it's gotten me now." Wanda cried out wryly, gritting her teeth at the mere thought of Erik. "I don't want his help, or yours, for that matter. The next time you see him, you better tell him to stay away." Her voice was a low hiss, snakelike. "If I so much as think I see him, he's dead and you better watch your own life, Pietro. Being my brother will only protect you for so long. If you have more secrets, you don't want me to find out." She turned and left, slamming her own new bedroom door.

Pietro dropped his head into his hands.

-----

_**Remy LeBeau was going to be married.**__ Another weird thing, he actually wanted to be. Remy deeply loved Bella; she was his best friend as a child and they trusted each other above all others. Although Remy was what some might term a 'player', that didn't mean he didn't have morals. Remy just had fun occasionally, but his heart was really only meant for one girl._

_When Jean-Luc had first found out about their friendship, he had been furious. Remy befriending an assassin was simply unheard of. The Thieves and the Assassins were rivals from way back, they hated each other. Yet Remy had unknowingly befriended Bella, daughter of Marius Boudreaux, head of the Assassins Guild. Worse yet, Remy had found out Bella's shady background and still they remained friends. The prospect was too much to take for Jean-Luc._

_He forbade Remy from going out to see her, but Remy never listened. It got to the point that Jean-Luc tried to keep Remy in the house, to which he was unsuccessful, when he finally realized the full reality of the situation. Remy could be used to bind the two families._

_Remy didn't care that his father was manipulative or that his idea of marriage was simply to bind the two families together. He loved Bella and would have married her anyway, even if Jean-Luc hadn't agreed. Jean-Luc met with Marius and they fought out their differences there, ultimately agreeing on the wedding of the two to bind their arguing guilds. _

_But everything had not gone as planned. The two families sat down in the Assassins Guild for dinner on one such night, to bond more and arranged the marriage. It was on that night that Julien sought out Remy to show him exactly what he thought of Remy marrying his sister._

_The night ended horribly. Julien drunkenly came in, pointing a gun at everyone until his eyes fell on Remy. Remy knew that an assassin with a gun was a bad thing. A drunken assassin with a gun was even worse. Julien aimed at the back of Henri's head, Remy's brother and best man, and threatened to fire. Remy didn't doubt that he would._

_It all passed in a blur. Remy charged the cards too high; they exploded too close to Julien's face. Julien had been killed._

_The wedding was immediately called off; the Thieves and the Assassins were back to fighting with each other. Remy was banned from New Orleans, a compromise both families came to after the event. Remy had gone to see Bella after._

_Easily climbing up the wall and flipping into her room, he found her on her bed with an array of tissues surrounding her and the box in front. She was crying softly, not loud enough to be heard outside the room, but enough to dispel her completely distraught feelings. _

_Remy sat down beside her and only then did she look at him with those red-rimmed, hollow eyes. She was hurt. Hurt beyond her very first kill or when Remy did something stupid, which he always seemed to be doing, she was truly crushed. After Bella had been through her first few missions, she had never cried, not that Remy had seen. Watching her cry was too much._

_They couldn't be together because of the mutual family hate between them and he couldn't run off with Bella because he'd scarred her so deeply that she might never be able to forgive him. Sure, she knew he was only protecting his brother, but she was heartbroken. Remy, who brought her such joy and happiness, also brought her heartbroken sadness. The two could not clash. Remy and Bella could never be together._

_Having made his final goodbyes, Remy left his family, his home, his Bella all behind._

_--- _

**Rogue kept her eyes tightly shut as she came into consciousness. **She clearly remembered the events of the night before. Her shoulder throbbed, a constant reminder as to the shot that had pierced her skin. She was laying on something soft. Was she on a bed?

"Y' don' have t' pretend t' be asleep, _chere_. Jus' be careful not t' move y' shoulder too much, don' want t' undo de stitches." Rogue knew that voice, or at least, now she did. Her eyes shot open and fell upon a woman sitting on the edge of the bed. She was a beautiful woman, lean and small, but tall at the same time with long, flowing blond hair and bright blue eyes that shone like stars.

"Belladonna."

"Jus' Bella, _fille._" Bella leaned back against the bedpost at the far end of the bed; she turned her head to the side so she was facing Rogue. "'M wonderin' how such a _fille_ might know me? I didn' dink Remy spoke o' me t' others."

"Remy didn't tell meh anythin'." Rogue added quickly, afraid of disalluding the woman and somehow not wanting Remy to be in trouble either. "Ah…saw it," Rogue didn't know how to describe it without telling Bella about her mutation. "In his memories."

Bella seemed to consider her for a minute. "Y' a telepath?"

"Not exactly, no."

Bella relaxed back against the bedpost. "Well, _fille,_ dere's some dings I'd like t' talk about. How's dis, if I answer y' questions, y' answer mine, _heh_? We'll have story time an' nobody gets hurt."

Rogue swallowed uncomfortably. "Okay…"

"Now, first ding first. Y' jus' another one o' Remy's girls o' what? Y' outfit gives y' away as such." Rogue glanced down at her clothes and became painfully aware of the stripper outfit she was wearing. Bella must have noticed her look of disgust. "Bad drinkin' night fo' y'?"

"No…kinda…it's a long story."

"Why don' y' recount it t' me? I'm awfully curious."

Rogue didn't know why she just trusted Bella immediately, but she did. Maybe it was because the woman wasn't holding her at gunpoint and maybe it was because Rogue wasn't already dead, she didn't know, but she trusted Bella. "Ah was out drinkin' because mah boyfriend jus' broke up with meh." Bella gave a small smile. Rogue quickly hurried on. "Ah don' normally do that or nothin'. Ah'm not really even sure how Ah got ta the bar, it jus' happened."

"O' course." Bella winked.

"But since Ah never really drank before," Rogue stressed the part. "Ah got drunk pretty easily an' then Remy came in."

"I don' doubt that." Bella gave her a smile that was almost a replica of Remy's smirk.

"He took meh ta his home an' Ah passed out."

"Good fo' y'." Bella commented, "Y' woulda regretted it if y' didn'." Rogue frowned and Bella's smile widened. "Jus' sayin'."

Rogue speculated. "Fohr bein' his old girlfriend nearly wed, ya really don't seem ta care much about his…infidelities."

"Y' know 'bout how we were goin' t' be married?" Bella was genuinely surprised as Rogue nodded. "Y' see dis in another vision?" Rogue nodded again. Bella pursed her lips for a second before motioning for Rogue to continue. "Explain 'bout dat later. What happened t' y' after y' passed out?"

"Well, when Ah was sleepin' Ah suppose he touched meh 'cause Ah had his memories and powers when Ah woke up."

Bella frowned. "He touched y' while y' were unconscious?"

"Not lihke that." Rogue realized what the other woman thought she meant. "No, he jus' brushed the hair outah mah face an' Ah absorbed him. At least, that's what he told meh."

"Oh, alright. Y' should believe him dere, Remy's a player but he don't assault women like dat." Bella assured her.

Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Ah don't know, he doesn't stop at much."

Bella chuckled, seeing that Rogue was reminiscing on past experiences. "No, he doesn't." She paused, "What's dis absorption ding y' speak of? Y' a mutant?"

Rogue fidgeted, suddenly uncomfortable. "Yeah…"

"Well _chere,_ dere's nothin' t' be ashamed o' in dat. Lotsa mutants out dere. I'm one."

Rogue's eyes zipped up from the blanket to Bella. "Ya a mutant too?"

Bella nodded, "Yup,"

Rogue returned her gaze to the blankets. "Mah mutation sucks."

"What is it dat y' do?"

Rogue felt too angsty telling Bella all about her mutation. She gave the woman the shortest version she could think of to cover the subject. "When Ah touch someone, Ah absorb their memories, personality, traits, and powers. They become lihke another person in mah head. Ah can't control it."

"_Condamner la fille. _Dat bites." Bella paused again, "Dat how y' know 'bout Remy an' me?" Rogue nodded, keeping her gaze down at the blanket. "Dat a toughy. Y' strong fo' dealin' wit' it, y' know," It occurred to Bella. "I don' even know y' name yet, _fille._"

"Rogue."

Bella didn't even blink at the name. "Rogue, den. Go on wit' y' story, we gettin' sidetracked."

"Apparently Remy wasn't the only one livin' there. John, Pietro, and Wanda also resided in his house. So when Ah tried ta leave, they decided that Ah knew too much from touchin' Remy. From there, things jus' got outah hand. Ta make sure that they weren't traced back ta their location, they decided ta go on a road trip. Ah tried ta run a few times, but Ah always got caught and hauled back in. Wanda doesn't lihke meh at all an' almost killed meh a few tahmes. Remy always wants ta touch me and lately, since he picked out mah outfit an' Ah didn't have nothin' else ta wear, Pietro's started lookin' at meh too."

"Take de compliment, _chere._ Y' a very pretty _fille._" Rogue self-consciously drew her legs up against her chest.

"Ya sound lihke Remy." Bella chuckled, Rogue continued. "John's the one Ah know from before, so he's nice ta meh, but he's not always around. Someone called Remy an' told him ta come down here so we turned down an' ended up here."

"Funny where a few drinks can land y', _heh_?" Bella chuckled softly.

"Uh huh." Bella seemed to notice her curled position.

"Y' want a new outfit, _chere_?" Bella stood and went to her closet without waiting for a response. "'M sorry, I'm jus' havin' trouble takin' y' too seriously while y' wear dat." Rogue knew she had noticed and silently thanked her lucky stars for someone generous to kidnap her. Which brought about a good point…

"Bella…" Bella didn't turn around as she rummaged through her stuff.

"_Oui?_"

"Why did ya kidnap meh?" As grateful as Rogue was that she wasn't dead and Bella apparently didn't have any intentions of shooting her or anything drastic, she still wondered why the woman before her would want to kidnap her.

"Y' see, dat leads int' my question. I want t' know why Remy's back." She turned and threw some clothes on the bed, lying down on her stomach on the bed as if she were idly making conversation with an old friend.

"Couldn't ya jus' ask Remy that?"

Bella shook her head gravely. "_Non,_ if de Guild knew Remy was back, dey'd kill him on de spot." Rogue blanched.

"Who was shootin' at the car then?"

Bella gave a lopsided smile, grinning apologetically. "Sorry dat hit y'. I tried t' drow his shot off Remy, but was jus' a fraction o' a second too late. It hit y' instead."

"Who was it?" Rogue asked again, unconsciously reaching towards the back of her shoulder.

Bella shrugged. "Ol' Thief's brother. Donyell ran off from de Thieves Guild an' formed his own guild. De Convicts. Dat was his brother Dwayne."

"Oh…" Rogue was surprised by her lack of caring. "Does that happen often?"

"_Non,_ he's jus' resentful. Tryin' t' become a power like de Thieves o' de Assassins."

Rogue shifted, it occurred to her. "Ya an Assassin."

_"Oui."_

Rogue hesitated. "Ya…" She plunged in. "Ya didn't want ta be?" It was half-question, half-statement.

Bella lifted an eyebrow at her. "Would y' want t' be?"

"Ah suppose not."

"It was a long time ago. I was jus' a little _fille_ at de time, didn' know any better. Follow in de footsteps o' de family, all dat. Y' can' jus' not do it, y' know? But times a'changed. I'm no longer jus' a little _fille_, y' get used t' it after awhile. I'll be head o' de guild when my dad's gone."

Rogue chewed on her bottom lip nervously. She didn't quite know what to say to that. "Anyway, back t' my question. Do y' know why Remy came back?"

"Ah don't. Ah'm sorry." And she was. Bella was genuine and honest to her. She would have told her if she knew.

"Dat's alright." Bella waved it off.

Rogue bit hard into her lower lip again. "Do ya…still love him?"

Bella looked at her then with a sad smile, reminiscing on the past. "_Oui_, I do. Circumstances ensure dat we can't be together an' despite de fact dat he has many flaws, numerous women one-nighters, drinks an' stuff, dat's okay wit' me. He's Remy."

That was really sad, Rogue thought. Bella obviously still loved Remy, and who knew, maybe he still loved her too, but they were never able to be together. They wouldn't ever get a happy ending.

The door slowly started to creak open. In a flash of a millisecond, Bella whipped out a gun, Rogue didn't even know from where, spun on her front arms, completely turning. She had it aimed, propped up against the pillows, and cocked before the door was even fully opened. Chalin stepped in.

Rogue vaguely recognized him from her dream. Long black hair ran straight down to the top of his shoulders and brown eyes glittered. He seemed completely unconcerned that he'd almost been shot. "It's jus' me. I didn' know y' had company."

Bella lowered the gun and dropped it on the pillow. "Dat's Rogue, Rogue, dis is Chalin."

Chalin gave Rogue an analyzing glance, his eyes falling on her choice of clothes distastefully. "Donyell wants t' talk t' y'." He informed Bella, tearing his eyes away from Rogue. Rogue shivered, the man had a cold stare.

"Is he here?"

"No."

"Den tell 'im no. I have nothin' t' say t' him." Chalin bowed his head respectfully and left.

Bella turned back to Rogue. "Get changed, I'll be right back." She snapped the safety on her gun and put it away on a belt. She left. Rogue glanced down at the clothes on the bed. She was anxious to get changed out of the outfit Remy had bought, but hesitant. It was strange. Bella had just kidnapped her and treated her as if she were a guest in the house. Most kidnappers had others ways of getting information.

Rogue changed out of Remy's outfit into a slightly clinging V-neck, long sleeved shirt and the jeans that Bella had laid out for her. Bella was a good head taller than her so the jeans fell partially under her feet, but generally fit. Although it wasn't particularly an outfit Rogue would have picked out, it was much better than the tight one that Remy had chosen for her. She was glad to get out of the outfit.

Shortly after Rogue had dressed, Bella came back into the room. "So, Roguey. Now what are we goin' t' do wit' y'?"

"Ya didn't plan on keepin' meh?"

Bella gave her a skeptic look. "'Course not, I jus' wanted t' know why Remy's in town. Simplest way t' go 'bout it was kidnappin' his passenger. Y' can stay if y' like, but nobody's keepin' y' here. Dough-I'd try t' stay away from other assassins, fo' y' own safety o' course."

"Cahn Ah make a call?"

"Sure." Bella took out a cell phone from her back pocket and tossed it to Rogue. Rogue fumbled with it, but caught it and flipped it open. Finally, she could call the X-Men to come pick her up and go home! Bella's kidnapping had been a blessing in disguise! She wouldn't have to put up with Remy's demoralizing jokes or Pietro's obsessive staring or Wanda's utter hatred of her. Rogue slightly regretting not having talked to John alone and separate, since he was so nice to her in telling Remy off. She wanted to tie up loose ends with him too, but oh well. At least she'd finally be taken out of this nightmare.

Her smile slightly darkened as Kitty was the one to pick up. "May Ah speak ta Storm?"

"Rogue?" Kitty's shock was evident. "Rogue! We've been looking all over for you! You're in New Orleans, right? The guys just left to go pick you up!"

Rogue frowned. "They did? How did they know where ta go?"

"I traced the call Storm made to Remy." Rogue rolled her eyes. Remy's cell phone untraceable, pfft, that would show him! "Rogue…I-I'm sorry."

Ut oh. Rogue played stupid. She didn't necessarily want to have this conversation with Kitty over the phone while in an assassin's bedroom. "About what?"

"About…the whole thing with Bobby. I never meant for it to happen and I know that's the reason that you ran off in the first place. It's all my fault that this happened to you at all," Where did she come off with that idea? "If it hadn't been for me, you never would have ran off and been kidnapped." Oh, that's where. If she put it like that, it did sound like her fault, but Rogue rolled her eyes all the same. "And I'm so sorry, I never meant for this to come between us and me and Bobby, we just sort of…connected, I don't know how to say it enough, I'm so sorr-"

Rogue cut the babbling girl off. "Kitty, it's alrigh'. We'll talk about this more later when Ah get back, but it's okay. Don't kill ya'self over it. Ah've gotta go, alright?"

Kitty's voice was small, as if she almost didn't believe it. "Okay…"

"Ah'll see ya when Ah get home."_ Click._ Rogue hung up. "Thanks," Rogue held out the phone for Bella.

Bella froze. Rogue squinted at her before she held a hand up to her mouth, motioning for silence. Rogue dropped her hand and stood up silently. Bella motioned for her to stay in place and grabbed her gun again, approaching the window slowly.

The window cracked open and a black hand was visible. Bella nearly shot it before recognizing the oversized palm and fingers. She sighed deeply and pushed open the rest of the window. "Jesus, Bandit. I almos' shot off y' hand. Haven't y' heard o' the door?"

Bella stepped back from the window and a man way too large for Rogue to expect to fit through the window stepped inside. He was huge, with long flowing black hair that almost matched his dark skin tone. At least six feet eight in height, he towered over them both in shear size. Rogue squinted at Bella. She was starting to believe that Bella's automatic reaction to point guns at people was a little too practiced.

"I had t' talk t' y'. Y' wouldn't take my calls."

"I've been busy." Bella gestured to Rogue. "With a friend." Bella didn't make introductions. Rogue assumed that 'Bandit' was not a man to make introductions to.

Bandit barely gave Rogue a glance before turning back to Bella, completely ignoring Rogue. "Bella, we need t' talk." He grabbed her arm slowly and traced the smooth skin with thickly gloved fingers. Bella dropped her gun.

"Bandit, stop."

"I wish y' wouldn't call me dat."

"I wish y' would stop touchin' me." Bella shot back, grabbing his covered arm with her hand and pushing it aside.

Bandit didn't seem to take the hint too well. He grabbed Bella by her shoulders tightly. "Bella, I love y'."

Bella backed up out his grasp, her back hit the wall, halting her progress. "Stop."

But Bandit wasn't listening. "Come back wit' me."

"No."

He leered in over her, his face inches from Bella's. Bella's hands started to glow bright blue. "No, Bella. Come wit' me." He leaned down and closed the distance between them, locking down on her lips. Bella's frame went ridged and her hands stopped glowing, her hair stood on end. She fell limply into his arms.

"Hey!" Rogue jumped at his back, tightly wrapping her legs around his torso and her arms around his neck. He looked alarmed for a second that she was in the room, but then the look changed. Almost carelessly, he reached back a hand and grabbed the back of Rogue's shirt, roughly throwing her forward against the wall. Rogue slid down the wall, her shoulder throbbing again in protest to its abuse.

Rogue tried to get up, but something hit her stomach before she could even attempt to stand. Rogue experienced a horrible burning sensation throughout her whole body as she was electrified. Her insides screamed and her bullet wound hurt ten times more than when she had actually been shot. Her limbs spasmed, hair stood on end, she couldn't scream, her throat was so raw with a fiery burning. Her already beaten body drained of every last vestige of strength she had. Tired and broken, her mouth opened wide in a silent scream of horror, her body gave up. She saw a thin cord leading from Bandit's sleeve as he reached down to grab her just before she passed out. Again, she was lost in oblivion.

**_A/N: Since you guys obviously like Cliffies so much, here's a new one! Tell me what you think!_**  



	8. Pain

_**When it first happened, Wanda just thought she was sick.**__ Coughing out blood, uncontrollably trembling, vomiting, power quirks, hot flashes that turned into freezing chills, unexplained pain, and muscle spasms were never a good sign. Wanda took it seriously enough, but she wouldn't be able to prepare herself for the results of the test after the first doctor visit._

_She was eighteen when she discovered that her body was against her. "What is it?" The doctor didn't immediately answer. "Tell me!" Her fingers twitched, aching to let loose the unnatural flow of energy. Her eyes flashed scarlet._

_Doctor Braveheart had known Wanda for a long time, was her specialist. Being a mutant himself, he took mutant patients, feeling bad that they were treated the way they were for just a few genetic evolutions. He was a man of science, had studied the subject all his life and primarily focused on the mutant 'problem'. Mutants were people too; they deserved everything a human did. He was a good man among few._

_"Wanda, I've studied many mutants before and none of their genetic codes have looked quite like this before." He handed her a paper from his white lab coat pocket. "Your mutation itself is highly unusual. It seems to have no limits of itself, not even a toll against you when you use it. According to my previous work and facts, it's almost as if your mutant gene were separately grown as a child, as if your body didn't start with the mutant gene, but later decided to grow its own." That was true. Erik had forced a mutation upon her. She never had been a mutant until he abused her._

_Wanda didn't know what any of the doctor's papers meant. She wasn't a scientist or a doctor. "What does that mean? Why have I been experiencing these symptoms?" _

_The good doctor took off his glasses and rubbed them on his shirt. "It's strange; I've never quite seen a case like yours before. It seems that the cells in your body are actually rejecting your mutation, fighting back against it because it seems to have come from an alien place. The cells weren't born accustomed to the mutant genes."_

_"Why is this happening now? Will it go away?"_

_"Your cells are maturing at this point, which might make them strong enough to overtake the mutant gene. It's happening now because your cells have the best chance of beating it while their in their prime growth. Unless your mutant gene can handle it, all your cells seem to be damaging you with your mutant gene. Because you are a mutant and your powers have already manifested, the attack is not just to the mutant gene, but also against you, making you experience the symptoms you mentioned to me."_

_"Yes, but will it go away?" Wanda asked again, since he hadn't answered the first time._

_Doctor Braveheart sighed and put his glasses back on. "I'm afraid your cells will only grow in strength as you yourself grow. Your mutation, since it's bonded with your body already, should be able to fight back, at first. But your cells are ever-maturing. They will grow in strength and eventually overcome your mutation, and thus, you."_

_"So my body is against me, trying to kill my mutation. What happens when it succeeds? I just lose my mutation?"_

_The doctor shook his head sadly, unable to look her in the eye. "No, your mutation is you. It's already bonded with its host. Since your cells are ever maturing, the symptoms will only get worse. When your cells finally succeed in overtaking your mutant gene…Wanda, you'll die."_

_---- _

**"Y' sure?"**

"Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't mistake those white streaks in her hair."

There was a slight pause. "Good,"

"Is she…even alive, Donyell?"

"Yes. She took the brunt of the electrocution, but she is alive. I had forgotten there was another in the room with Bella. You may leave, if you like. You don't have to watch."

Footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Rogue's eyes snapped open at the touch of something cold and wet on her eyes.Her eyes were met with complete blackness and a drop of water slipped into her exposed eye, making her blink rapidly.

Rogue tried to move her arms to push off the wet thing, but to her horror, she found she couldn't. Her arms were strapped down tightly, as were her legs, to a cold surface. Rogue began to panic as the cloth was moved off her eyes.

Light seeped into her eyes, making her wince and flinch back, squinting to see. Gradually, her eyes became accustomed to the light and the figure in front of her blurred into shape. A tall, lanky, muscular frame came into focus. It was Bandit.

"Glad t' see y' awake." Rogue shivered, keeping her mouth shut. From what he'd done to Bella and her current captivity, which seemed to ever be changing, this was not a man to trust. "I have a few questions fo' y' dat I'd like t' see answered. Don't lie and don't try t' hide it, de punishment will be worse if y' do. Tell me what I want t' know an' nobody gets hurt."

Rogue's eyes temporarily rolled off Bandit. The man's gaze was so cold, he frightened her. Casting her gaze to the side, Rogue spotted two other operating tables, much, she guessed, like the one she was on. She couldn't see the far one very well to identify the person, but the one she was nearer too was clear. A blanket was pulled over Bella to her neck, but Rogue guessed she was also bound as she was. Bella was still unconscious. "She is most beautiful, isn't she?" Bandit seemed to stare off into space, watching Bella's slowly rising and falling chest as if he had completely forgotten Rogue was there.

Rogue didn't want to bring his attention back to her. She kept her mouth shut again, but Bandit seemed to break free of his own spell. "She will be mine, soon. After Remy is gone she will no longer be in love with a dead man."

Rogue forgot her good sense that told her to shut up. "Ya gunna kill the man she loves so she'll love ya?" Her expression automatically fell into a suspicious, wry humor. "That'll make her love ya."

Bandit's movements were fast. He backhanded her across the face, sending a jolt through her whole body and making her tremble. Rogue cried out in pain as her body spasmed at the jolt, leaving her in a cold sweat and not wanting to experience that again. "I wouldn't expect y' t' understand." Bandit tore his gaze away from Bella and glared down at her. "Watch y' wit, girl. I can hurt y' much more dan a few little jolts t' y' body." Rogue didn't doubt that he could, or would, either. "Now, are y' ready t' answer my questions?"

Rogue remained silent. Bandit quirked an eyebrow at her before lashing out again, backhanding her against the other cheek. Again, Rogue spasmed uncontrollably and was left shaking in a cold sweat. Tears came to her eyes, even though she fought against them, they gently made their way to the corner of her eyes and slipped down into her hair. "When I ask a question, y' will answer. Got dat?"

"Okay." Rogue squeaked, her voice unnaturally high and wispy.

"Good. Now, y' were with Remy, were y' not?"

"Yes." The man already knew that. Rogue had heard that part of the conversation when he spoke to the other man. It would do no good to lie about things he knew.

"Are y' Remy's girlfriend?" He spoke as if he already assumed she was.

Rogue's eyes widened. What kind of question was that? This guy, this Bandit, was seriously mental in his quest for revenge. "No, Ah'm not!" Rogue chirped, offended at his assumption.

"What did I say 'bout lyin' t' me?" He stroked her hair; sending a buzz through the strands and making them stand up straight.

Rogue's breathing quickened. "Ah'm not, Ah swear."

Bandit smiled coyly, still stroking her hair. "Y' have spunk, dat's fo' sure. Remy does like spunk in his girls." His hand moved near her face and Rogue flinched back, he traced the white tendrils that framed her face, making them static with electricity. "What do y' dink would hurt him more? T' find y' dead o' fo' him t' find y' beaten beyond recognition so dat he looks upon y' an' can't help but grimace in pity at y' scars?"

Rogue shook with fear, inching as far away from Bandit as her restraints allowed. "Ya don't understand. Ah don't have any association with Remy. He kidnapped meh days ago, Ah'm jus' a hostage ta him."

"An' I'm de King o' France." Bandit chuckled wryly. "I'm dinkin' number two, _heh_? Sounds more poetic." Bandit pulled out a long blade from his side. It sparked with electrical charge from his uncovered fingers, almost seeming to make tiny lightning bolts flicker over its surface. "Such a pity." Bandit commented absently, "Such a beautiful face all gone t' waste on a sour thief like Remy." Bandit traced the blade, making the miniature lightning bolts flick off from his fingers, directing the electricity. "Oh well, all good dings go t' waste, _non?_" He lifted the blade close to her face, ready to carve its delicate blade into her features. Rogue squirmed and made a mousy noise before a strong voice called out to her side.

"Stop Bandit! Leave de _fille_ alone. If y' quarrel be wit' Remy, let it stay like dat. She's innocent." The blade dipped, nearly touching Rogue before being drawn back to his side and sheathed.

"Bella!" He cried delightfully, "'M so glad t' see y' awake!" He seemed to completely forget Rogue was there. "How are y' feelin'?"

Bella gave him a shrewd look. "Considerin' that I'm locked in a lunatic's basement who's gone completely insane with revenge an' even convinced himself dat he's in love wit' me when he really only wants t' press his revenge agains' Remy, I could be better."

"O' course I'm in love wit' y', Bella! Y' are my bright star an' my light. I live only fo' y'."

Bella arched an eyebrow. "Y' need t' get laid, Bandit. Den tell me who's y' bright star."

"It would only be y', Bella! Fo' I would settle t' lay next t' no one, except y'. Y' are my shinin' moon an' my nightly mistress, I walk in de shadow o' y' presence. Any wish y' have is my command, fo' I'd do anythin' fo' y', my Bella."

"Now y' spoutin' poetry at me?" Bella shook her head. "I mus' be in Hell already."

"If y' go t' Hell, I will only follow y' dere. I love y', Bella." Bandit didn't seem aware of her tone or perpetual push off of him at all. It was as if he were in a state of delusion.

"Oh, fo' heaven's sakes."

It was strange, Rogue reflected. The man who had just been ready to carve her face open for revenge against Remy had completely gone from scary to idiotic. Not that his plan hadn't been stupid in the first place, but he hadn't completely lost his mind at that point. Now he was spouting sickening poetry like some puppy dog, completely unaware of everything around him and Bella's obvious disgust in him. What was wrong with the man? He had to be getting some kind of therapy, or if he didn't, then he should have been. Bandit had completely lost his mind.

----

**The pain returned.** Wanda sunk to her knees in the middle of her deserted room and groaned as weakness wracked her body, taking away all her strength and energyWith one arm across her stomach and the other cradling her head, she shook and trembled, fighting not to cry out as the pain took over her body. It was worse than before, it was always worse. Her skull felt like it was splitting. Dry heaves wracked her frame as she gasped for air, begging for it almost. Her skin broke out in a cold sweat as her gasps turned into violent coughs.

Her body screamed in untold anguish as her cells fought against her. She couldn't hold herself up anymore, not even on her knees. Bracing herself on all fours, blood sprinkled the white carpet from her cruel coughs. Her eyes stung as wet, heavy tears clogged her vision, begging to be let free from her eyes. But she wouldn't cry. Wanda didn't cry.

Gasping between dry heaves and violent coughing brought little air to supplement her lungs. They cried out at the lack of oxygen, making sure her chest scream against every exhale and hurt with every drawn breath. Her throat was raw with the metallic, distasteful bite of warm blood. She tried to swallow it down, but it only built up in her throat, forced upwards into her mouth until it hit the carpeted floor. The floor was soon soaked with blood, vile and sickening to the sight.

Every limb felt scorched, as if she had just been burned by a fiery blaze. Her body shook, uncontrolled in its trembling, she barely managed to support her upper body on all fours. She had been completely zapped of every once of strength, so much that she was barely even aware of the blood spilled over the carpet, except for knowing its vile taste in her mouth.

A particularly nasty spasm flew through her arm and all her support crumbled. She fell to the floor shaking, writhing in her own blood as she choked on it in her throat, unable to hold an upward position for it to fall from. She inched to her size, hugging herself tightly to stop the cold chills that ran through her body, making her icy and freezing. The blood dripped out of the side of her mouth, trickling down across her cheek to gently stop and sink into the floor.

Her head swam in a sea of blurred vision, trying to hold to consciousness long enough for the current spell to stop. She wouldn't be able to identify anything, so boggled was her mind at the sludgehammer pounding that raced throughout her brain.

The door to her room opened behind her, but Wanda was oblivious to all but the pain. Pietro raced to her side and gently took her hand. It was icy cold to the touch, but he didn't let go. Helping her into a better position so that she was almost sitting, leaning forward with her head tilted forward, he clutched Wanda around the middle, still holding her hand, but also holding her, being her support. "Wanda, come on. Just wait through it. You'll be alright." Wanda closed her eyes, hiding her unshed tears from Pietro.

If truth was told, Pietro was scared shitless. Every time Wanda fell into one of her pained, weak spells, he was sure it would be the last. He hated seeing her like that, all weak and frail and broken. Wanda was not a broken person. She was hateful, true, but she'd never give in to the pain. Wanda was a fighter and she'd fight back death till the end.

It wasn't fair. Wanda had lived a horrid, crappy life since the beginning. She'd never known her mother and she loathed her father with a passion too powerful to deter. Erik was truly the one who had made a mess of her life, but Pietro understood his motive in doing so. He had only been trying to protect Wanda, but he'd only made it worse.

Wanda was dying. Her 'pains' came more and more often, they were progressively worse each time, and no one had a cure for them; no one could save Wanda. She was truly alone in the world, which only contributed to her sour attitude towards everything and everyone. Wanda's hate fueled everything. Without it, she would have already been dead.

But leading a hateful life was almost as bad as not leading a life at all. Wanda found joy in nothing, she was empty; Pietro hadn't heard her laugh since she was ten. She never even smiled anymore. What kind of life was that to live? To never be happy and always counting the days to her death, always in pain…

Wanda's coughing gradually grew less and less until it ceased all together. She kept her eyes shut and breathed in heavily, absorbing the oxygen she had lacked moments ago. Her skin was covered with a layer of icy cold sweat; her body was still freezing to the touch. Her tremors had almost disintegrated completely.

"You alright, Wanda?" Saying her name was reassuring to Pietro, it let him know she was still there. Still breathing. Still alive.

Wanda dropped her head lower, near her chest. "I'm tired of it, Pietro." Her voice was hoarse and ragged, obviously forced. "I'm tired of it all." It was a rare moment of weakness that she had shown him. Perhaps she was too tired to cover it up or just didn't care, but it was a moment. It almost never happened.

Pietro pulled her into a reassuring hug, tightly wrapping his arms around her back and holding her close. "I know, Wanda. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lied to you about dad. You never deserved this." Wanda didn't exactly hug him back, but rather leaned into him for support. It didn't matter, as long as she was ok.

"You shouldn't come with us on the rescue."

"I'm fine." Her barriers were set back up. She pulled away from Pietro and staggered away. Pietro made to help her, but she held up her arm, motioning him away. "I'll go." Her decision was made. There was no use arguing with her. "I'm going to shower." That was a polite dismissal.

Pietro watched Wanda sadly as he left the room and softly shut the door. Wanda unsteadily made her way to the bathroom and quickly stripped of her clothes. She entered the shower and turned the water on as cold as it could be. The icy rain against her clammy skin made her unfeeling to the world, unfeeling of anything and everything. Her thoughts and fears drowned away, swirling to the drain and out of sight. She was completely numb. It was a feeling she liked.

----

**"One false move and I'll kill you." **Mystique was going on her first mission with the X-Men, an easy pick up, but it was mainly to test her with trust. The mission was important to the rest of the X-Men; if she botched it then they'd throw her out. It was a test to see where her true alliances lied.

Mystique remained silent, watching Logan rant at her as an observer, rather than the person who was being threatened. She wasn't scared by Logan's threats and she'd do nothing to jeopardize her current position with the X-Men. The X-Men were a good way to get back at Erik, for she couldn't do it alone, and although she had her own little squad, the X-Men were much stronger and shared a mutual hate of the man.

Logan seemed to realize she wasn't listening to him and stalked off. Mystique relaxed back into her seat which she had taken at the very back of the jet and pulled out her cell phone. "Remy."

"'ello, Blue. Y' satisfied now? De deal's done."

Mystique's voice drifted over the phone, soft and hushed. "Yes, the theft went just as planned. You and John may do as you like now, I have no more missions for you currently."

"Okay. We picked up another _homme_ an' his sister t' help us, but oh well. Guess dat don't matter now." Remy raised an eyebrow, why would she call just to say that?

"There's one more thing." So much for no more missions. "The X-Men are on their way to find Rogue. They'll be in New Orleans soon."

"_Oui? Merde._ Dat's a slight problem."

"Why?"

"We don' have de _fille_ no more. We jus' about t' go rescue her; Remy got de blueprints a few minutes ago."

"I don't care what you do Remy, the deal was already made."

Mystique was quite carefree, when he reflected on it. "_Oui? _Mystique, can Remy ask y' somethin'?"

"What?" Her voice hinted that she was ready to hang up.

"Why'd y' have us steal from de mansion? Not dat Remy's complainin' about bein' sixteen billion dollars richer, but it was Stormy's school…"

"Don't burden me with your guilt, Remy. I had to force my way into the team somehow. Forget the school, they're fine." That's all she would say. "If you hear of Erik, give me a call. If not, don't call me. The next time I want something done, I'll find you." Mystique didn't wait to hear his answer. She hung up, smiling softly to herself. Her eyes glittered.

**_A/N: Hope you like it!_**

**_4Rogue: ROFL. You make me laugh. Well, we're all entitled to our own opinion in the matter, it's cool if you don't completely agree with all of my characters. And who said this was a Ryro? ;p just 'cause John's protective of her doesn't mean I'm going to put 'em together. But, all the same, your opinion is appreciated and I do hope you stay on with future chapters, even though you don't completely agree with everything. Thanks for your review!_**

Bellaplasma shots


	9. Security

**Remy was on his way to the security room with Wanda beside him to act as backup in case anything went wrong.** She was almost as familiar with security as he was and could shut down the system, should he fail to. Not only that, but she was also quick like him. If Remy hadn't known better, he might have guessed that she'd been trained at the Thieve's Guild, so swift were her movements and so detail-catching was her gaze. 

Not that Remy needed the miniscule details pointed out to him; he could do fine on his own too, but having Wanda present wasn't at all a bad thing. It made the entry quick, that was for sure.

After hopping the gate at the front, where Wanda merely bent the bars out of shape and walked through, they had followed along the right side of the building until hitting the precise location they had measured out.

They had carefully chosen their entry spot. It was a little far from their destination, but a farther distance to travel inside was better than being caught before entering the building. From what Remy could tell and what Wanda seconded, the spot had the least security on it. A few cameras had dotted their path along the way, but Wanda and Remy had avoided them with ease. Their current position didn't hold any security cameras for forty feet both ways. It was a blind spot, created because there were no windows and no door, no way to enter that portion of the building.

But such ridiculous tools, such as a door or window, were not needed by the two mutants for their entry. Remy stood back for a moment, letting Wanda face the solid wall ahead of him. Wanda waved her hand aside in a careless manner, almost as if she were greeting someone. The solid, decorated stone split apart at its base, making a crumbling rumble as stone was manipulated into tearing itself apart.

The noise was loud, almost thunderous to Remy's ears, but his mutation would have been louder. It was safer to go with Wanda's mutation. It caused noise, yes, but less than an explosion. This was the most dangerous part of their plan. They didn't know what lay behind the door and it was the noisiest part at one of the most crucial moments of the intrusion.

Remy flinched at the noise and made to dash inside, but Wanda, being closer to their man-made entry, was faster. She ducked inside, already mumbling under her breath, her hands almost appearing to take a red-tinted glow. She paused after taking a few steps in, causing Remy to bump into her back at her sudden stop. Her hands stopped glowing.

"Well that was lucky." She spoke in a hushed tone, but her words still managed to be cynical and dripping with sarcasm just the same. The room they had entered was empty, the only light spilling in from the entry they had just made in the wall. That was fine with Remy, he could see better in the dark anyway.

It took Wanda's eyes a moment more to adjust to the dim light. They appeared to have entered some kind of lab of a sort. Metal desks dotted the room, all cleared off of everything except a thin layer of dust. A sad, shabby door held a long white lab coat that hadn't been touched in some time. Microscopes were lined up in the corner of the counter that wound all the way around the room in nearly a full circle.

"_Oui._ picked a good room, _heh?_" Wanda cast him a sparing glance before striding over to the door. Remy followed behind closely. "Sure y' don' want a man t' do de hard work?" Wanda cast him a withering glare and opened the door slowly, peeking out through the crack.

The room was at the far end of a hallway. That was good, that meant the printouts Remy had showed them were right. A security camera was fixed in the corner of the room, currently scanning away from the door. Wanda grabbed Remy's wrist and pulled him out, where they both dashed under the camera. "What are you doing?"

Remy had begun to climb the wall, using the corner as his even leverage between the two walls. Above his head, the security camera scanned back and forth evenly. Remy firmly planted his feet against the walls, one on each wall to support him as he let go with his arms and reached into his back pocket. "What are you doing?" It was ok to talk; the video cameras only gave picture feed, not audio. People usually didn't like having their private conversations overheard, which was the good reasoning behind that and also gave them leeway to speak as they wished.

"Jus' watch an' learn, _chere._" Remy pulled out his cell phone, pushed a few buttons, and held it up next to the camera, tracing the camera's progression back and forth in a full swing before clipping a cord into the bottom of his cell phone and hooking it into the video camera.

"You can hack the security camera with your cell phone?" Wanda raised an eyebrow. "You pay extra for that feature?"

"Nah, jus' a trick Remy picked up from Henri." His fingers ran across the keys of his cell phone furiously. "An' it doesn't hack int' de camera, it hacks int' de computer dat de camera displays on." Wanda got it. Remy had put his cell phone camera on video and taken a short clip of the hallway following the rout the security camera traced. From there, he would plug in his clip on repeat into the security system of the watching camera so that it repetively showed an empty hallway. They would be completely invisible to the security camera.

"You going to have to do this to every camera we see?"

Remy lifted his head from the cell phone screen for a moment to stare at her incredulously. "Dat'd be a time saver, huh?" His voice was sarcastic.

"Just asking."

Remy returned to his cell phone screen, busily punching away the small numbers. "_Non_, Remy can see de rest o' de security cameras from here. It'll take a few minutes, but Remy can copy de image of empty hallway drough all o' de security cameras so we're completely invisible."

"Not all the cameras have the same feed, do they?"

_"Non,_ o' course not. Remy means he can see all de video cameras' clips an' implant his empty space int' each one, so dat dey see nothin'."

"All with your cell phone?" Wanda looked at him doubtfully. "No wonder you wouldn't throw it away when John told you to."

_"Oui,_ now return t' y' post, watch de hallway." Wanda huffed and turned her gaze to the empty hallway which, suddenly, wasn't as empty as before. Two security guards, dressed entirely in black with the full utility belt of guns and combat boots were speaking to each other in hushed whispers. They had yet to look up and notice Remy and Wanda not thirteen feet down the hall. Wanda spread out her arms, silently mumbling, she took control of the two walls beside the men. Simultaneously, she brought her arms together in front of her as her hands turned into fists.

A portion of each wall followed the movement, jumping out from its solidary position to grab at the men, wrapping around their heads and taking out their air. After a few moments, the men fell limply to the ground. The walls fell back into their original positions before becoming solid once more.

Remy frowned at her, momentarily peeking up from his cell phone. "Y' didn' have t' kill 'em."

"I didn't." Wanda swiftly closed the short distance between them and grabbed the back of their shirts. Hauling them back, she disposed of them in the empty classroom that she and Remy had entered.

During the rest of the time that Remy hacked into the security systems, no more guards came through. Wanda guessed they had shifts and no other guards would come down the hallway for awhile. Twenty minutes later, Remy announced that he was done. "About time, did that take long enough? That wasn't even the whole security system."

"Hey, Remy'd like t' see y' do dat in a short twenty minutes. Expertise takes time." Wanda shook her head as she took the lead and Remy fell into step behind him. They didn't have to worry about security cameras anymore, but there was more security than just that. It was a good thing it wasn't night, Wanda hadn't been looking forward to taking the time to avoid laser beam alarms. They only came on at night, Remy assured her.

"Tell me why shutting down the power wouldn't have saved us from this process?"

Remy grinned. "Because, den de backup security would immediately come on. We need t' shut dat down before takin' out de power."

Remy started fidgeting with his phone again. Wanda didn't pause in her progression, but asked. "You calling John?"Remy nodded. "We're not done yet."

"Remy know, jus' checkin' in on dem."

John picked up after the second vibration. "You two nearly done yet? It's boring as hell out here."

"Not yet, jus' checkin' in. Pietro can go if he wants, de security cameras are down."

John groaned. "Jus' hurry up with the rest of it, alright? I want to get in there already."

Pietro's voice was faint behind his. "What'd they say?"

"You can go, Pietro. Security cameras are down, but they have yet to break into the office still, so don't be too reckless. You take the above ground floors, when I go, I'll take the basement." John spoke back into the phone. "The X-Men are tracing your phone, Remy. They'll be here any minute. I'm going to skip the waiting for them part when you're done, alright?"

Remy hesitated, weighing the odds. The X-Men should be there soon enough so that it didn't matter. "Alrigh' Johnny, jus' don' get us o' y'self killed." John hung up. Remy put his cell phone back into his pocket as he looked around for the first time.

The mansion was huge. What someone would need with all this space was beyond Remy's comprehension. The ceiling was at least twenty feet high, where another layer stacked on top of that and ran up to a third and fourth landing. Even the smallest of halls were vast in proportions, stretching out at least thirty feet across and much longer lengthwise. Bandit was a tall guy, broad shouldered too, but nobody needed that much room. It was a good thing Remy had blueprints of the mansion; they would have been completely lost without them.

They didn't fall upon many more guards, but a few. Wanda quickly disposed of them much the same way she disposed of the first two, alternating between using the ceiling, the floor, or the walls. It was quite a spectacle to watch, and Remy had to marvel, her mutation did save a lot of time and unnecessary fights on the way.

It took them ten more minutes to reach the security room. Remy quickly disposed of the security that watched the screens with a few practiced jabs to the side of the neck and sat down in the man's place, Wanda taking a seat beside him. Remy began his work as Wanda played lookout at the door again.

---

**Finally.** Waiting had become extremely boring. Pietro just wanted to rush in there. He was anxious, always jittery to get to the action of the plan. Kind of like John, except John only liked a fight. He just had to be doing something; it didn't necessarily have to be fighting, but it had to be something.

Pietro zipped into the building through the entrance Wanda had created. Security cameras might not matter anymore, but it wouldn't do any good to wiz right in through the front door. It didn't really matter if anyone saw Pietro, they'd just see a blur of color and feel a gust of wind brush against them from nowhere. The only real problem had been the security cameras that could have exposed him, making the alarm sound.

Pietro raced down the hallways, not paying attention to the offhand people he passed and only slowing to knock out a guard when he occasionally saw one. He was so fast; no one could possibly hope to see him coming. It was easy, child's play. Pietro had been told to look for two people. Rogue and Henri. He didn't exactly know what Henri looked like, but figured he could identify a hostage if he saw him.

Pietro started upstairs on the fourth floor. It was a lucky start. The fifth door down the hall (and there were plenty other doors it could have been, the hallway was lined down back and forth with them) held a different sort of man in it.

The room was like a dojo gym. At first, Pietro hadn't seen anything. He was about to rush off out of the room when a low moaning hit his ears. He skidded to a halt, not quite stopping in time before he hit the wall. Picking himself up, Pietro wandered back into a connecting room behind the dojo room.

This one was full of weapons. Literally every kind of weapon Pietro would ever think of was crammed in the second room. There were guns (of all sorts), grenades, explosives, bows, clubs, swords, daggers, knifes, switchblades, staffs, nun chucks, ninja stars, even bo-staffs, like Remy's. Pietro pondered at this, but his attention was soon drawn to the man on the floor.

He was bound with a type of whipping rope at the hands and ankles, both uncomfortably coming up to connect at the middle of his back. His mouth was gagged, but Pietro imagined he could have spat it out if he wanted. He had numerous bruises over his body, his shirt was ripped, his hair stuck up and was ruffled, and he was bleeding from several different places. "Oh, shit!" Pietro grabbed one of the knifes off the wall and began cutting into the leather bindings, quickly removing the gag. "You're Henri, huh?"

Henri looked at him oddly, not recognizing him. "Who are y'?"

"I'm a friend of Remy's."

Henri's eyes widened, perhaps excited. The notion was wiped from Pietro's mind as his binding snapped and he pointed, "Behind y'!"

Pietro was fast enough to avoid the blow, but unfortunately, Henri had been directly under him. The blow of the staff hit Henri's temple and the man fell unconscious.

The attacker was completely black-clad, face covered so that Pietro couldn't even tell if it was a man or a woman. They raised the staff around and spun on the spot, eyeing Pietro in a curious stare, perhaps wondering how he'd moved so fast. Pietro blinked. "Out of all the weapons you could have chose to kill us, you picked a staff?" The attacker lunged again, but Pietro was faster. Wanting to lead the attacker into the open where he'd have more space to run, Pietro doubled back behind them and out the door into the dojo room.

The ninja turned and followed him out. Pietro halted, grinning at him. "You really think you've got a chance against me?"

Ten more ninjas dropped down from the ceiling out of nowhere and formed a circle around him. Pietro scoffed. Time for a little action.

----

**"I'll get rid of security." **Mystique volunteered.

Logan turned on her, outraged. "Like Hell you will! You're not going anywhere alone. I'm going with you."

Storm sighed and shook her head. "Logan, you're going with me. Raven; don't give me a reason not to trust you. I have too many already. Don't screw up."

Mystique gave Storm a cool look. "Come in five minutes. That's all I need."

Storm didn't doubt Mystique's ability to dispatch a security system. She knew Mystique was very capable of accomplishing such a feat in a quick time. But ever since the Blackbird had taken off to go find Rogue, Storm had a bad feeling that Mystique was in for more than she was letting on. Revenge against Magneto, yes, but Storm was starting to think that the school's lost money and Mystique's sudden joining with much-needed funds was a little too coincidental.

Mystique left without another word. Hank stepped out of the jet and joined the group.

"What'd I miss?"

-----

**John hurriedly called Remy.** "You done? They're here!" He was nearly shouting into the cell phone.

Remy's voice was calm, expressing no worries at such. "Jus' finished _homme,_ y' can cut de power."

John hung up without another word and expanded the fireball he'd been playing with. When it had grown to the size of a small boulder, John threw the flame up at the power box he was sitting under. The box exploded with a loud cackle and electrical cords flew everywhere. The lights in the mansion all went out, but the backup didn't come on, due to Remy's good hacking.

John hopped the fence and made his way to the entrance point. He was ready for the long-awaited action.

-----

**"Y' my pride an' joy, I'm in darkness wit'out y' light."** Bandit was still going on. Rogue's eyes met Bella's and Bella rolled her eyes. "I've been workin' on a gift fo' y'. Although it's not perfect yet, I can hold it long enough."

Bella raised her eyebrows at him, not saying anything. "Y' don' have t' say anythin'," Bandit assured her, assuming that she was speechless. "Y' surprise will be enough."

Bandit strolled to the side of Bella's table and tenderly held out a finger. This time, Bella did flinch away. "Don' worry, Bella. I'd never hurt y'."

"What was kidnappin' me considered?" Bandit didn't answer. Instead, he closed the distance between them and stroked the side of Bella's cheek. Nothing happened.

Bella wasn't shocked or zapped to death, not crying out in pain or electrocuted. Nothing. Bella's eyes widened in fear now and she tried to squirm away. "Dat's right, I controlled it. Fo' y'." He continued to stroke Bella's cheek as she fought not to panic at the new revelation. "We can finally be together, fo'ever now."

He leant over the table and pressed his lips against Bella's. She tried to flinch back, but there was nowhere to back up against. Bandit's hands tightly held her shoulders down as he abused her. Bella closed her eyes, waiting for it to be over. Surely he wouldn't…his left hand snaked down the back of her shirt and fiddled with her bra strap.

Bella's hands started to glow under the blanket as the lights suddenly flickered out. Bandit pulled away and frowned. Another man rushed downstairs, completely dressed in black except for a red strip across his helmet, the handkerchief on her leg and his matching red belt. "Intruders have broken in."

Bandit pulled away entirely. "How many?"

"We don't know yet. Many. Mutants. The ninjas have one cornered upstairs, the rest unknown, but they're there."

Bandit began rushing up the stairs, away from them. The black-dressed man started to follow, but Bandit nearly pushed him back. "No Thrash, stay wit' de _filles._" He disappeared up the steps.

Thrash gave one look at the bound Bella and Rogue before hurrying upstairs. Bella sighed deeply. "Finally. Now dat dey're gone." The blue around her hands brightened to a point that it could be seen through the blankets. There was a horrible sizzling noise and Bella quickly drew up her hands, which had horrible scorch marks on them. She bit her lower lip. "Ow."

"What'd ya do?!" Rogue asked, alarmed. Bella's hands glowed again and she touched the metal surrounding her ankles. The restraints melted away, Bella was careful to make sure the metal melted away from her skin.

"Nothin', jus' melted some metal on my hand."

Rogue stared. "Ya nearly burnt half ya hand!"

Bella shrugged and stood up, off the operating table. She leaned back and cracked her back loudly before proceeding over to Rogue's table. Rogue winced. "Don' worry, Roguey. I won' burn y' hand. Jus' couldn' be avoided wit' me."

Bella proceeded to melt away all of Rogue's restraints too, and she stuck to her word, not burning Rogue or spilling any hot metal against her skin. Bella helped Rogue to her feet and Rogue unsteadily wobbled for a minute. Bella held her up. "It okay, take y' time." Gradually, strength returned to Rogue's legs and she could stand on her own. "Dere y' go." Bella stared at her for a moment before batting at her hair. "Y' hair is a mess, _fille_. Too much electricity fo' one girl."

Rogue didn't see how Bella did it. Two minutes ago she'd almost been raped, and now she was sitting here, slowly taking her time in escaping with Rogue and making jokes about it. No wonder Remy had been friends with the woman. She was quite a handful, always fun at that.

Bella grabbed her covered arm and started leading her to the stairs. Rogue stared at the woman in wonder as she was led. Once they reached the top of the stairs, Bella poked her head out, checking the hallway.

"Who y' dink's here?"

Rogue considered it thoughtfully. "It could be the X-Men. Or Remy."

Bella flashed her a grin. "Hope it's Remy. Want t' find dem?"

"Okay…" Rogue uncertainly quirked an eyebrow at Bella. "As long as we don't get caught…Ah don't know about ya, but Ah don't lihke bein' threatened ta turn inta a pumpkin head."

Bella chuckled. "Don't worry 'bout it. We won't get caught, I promise."

"Where do ya suppose he is?" Bella led the way out of the door and down the hallway, tugging Rogue's hand as she went.

"Probably in de security room."

"An' ya know where that is?"

"O' course," Bella scoffed, "As if I wouldn't remember my stalker's blueprints o' his mansion."

Rogue raised another eyebrow. "Ya kinda weird, Bella."

"Gotta keep entertained somehow, _heh? _Y' should always live life t' de fullest, 'cause tomorrow, y' might be dead." Straight from an assassin's point of view. Bella gave her another award-winning grin and led the way.


	10. Power

**_A/N:_** _Fans and readers: I'm so incredibly sorry about such a long delay in the progression of this story, especially after daily updating and then just dropping off. I'm so sorry, I let my personal life affect my writing and eventually just stopped all together. I can't say it enough and I know nothing will make it up. I'm sorry._

**"She's not here."** Storm calmly made her way over to Logan. "Why don't you go check the upper levels and then report back to the control room? I'm going to send Hank there now and finish checking this floor, then follow."

Logan grunted something indistinguishable that must have been agreement because he quickly left the room and Storm could hear distant thudding against the steps. She turned to Hank. "Hank, I don't trust Raven. Find her, would you? She's in the security control room, wherever that is. It seems she shut down the security all right, but I don't want her out of my sight for any longer than she has to be."

Hank glanced up the stairs after Logan. "I understand, Ororo. I'll go find her."

Storm gave him a half-hearted smile. "Thanks, Hank."

Storm didn't trust Raven, probably never would. The history between the two women was shaky, to say at least. But Xavier had always been one to believe in second chances, Storm knew, and even without the bribe, he would have welcomed Mystique onto the team and did his best to change her. So Storm would follow in Xavier's footprints and try to help every mutant she could, even the ones she disliked. Mystique was definitely one of those. Everybody deserved a second chance, though…right?

----

**Pietro didn't have a problem taking out the ninjas. **The ninjas were faster than normal people, had extreme fighting skills, and were trained to fight. But it didn't matter. Pietro was faster, his speed gave him better skills and he himself had been trained by the world's most wanted terrorist father. All that together made him one hell of a fighter.

The first ninja that broke the circle found himself thrown back against the wall with excessive force, so that he collapsed instantly and didn't get back up. From there, Pietro circled the circle of ninjas that had surrounded him only seconds ago. Nudging inward so that the circle was smaller, a great wind began to pick up from Pietro's speed.

Seconds later, shouts rose from the circle as the ninjas tried to run out from the circle of tornado-speeded wind. One was thrown out as soon as he got close to the wall and the sound of shattering glass followed his departure. Pietro cut the circle smaller and more cries of pain could be heard. Glass shattered, thumps could be heard, shouting grew dimmer, moans and the final fall into unconsciousness. Pietro stopped his whirlwind only after all the shouts had been silenced. He glanced around himself and grinned. Stupid ninjas. Nobody could take him.

Pietro made his way to all the ninjas and checked the destruction. Weapons had flown off the racks, but miraculously, none of the ninjas had been hit. Knifes stuck out of walls, staffs littered the floor, ninja stars pierced the ceiling, swords lay haphazardly about. Pietro checked the pulse of all the ninjas, everyone of them was still alive. Sighing, Pietro made his way back to the separate room in which Henry lay unconscious. He picked up the muscular man and cradled him in his arms, balancing his weight evenly.

Pietro walked back to the outer gym room and cast one last look around before something struck his shoulder. Pietro cried out at the sudden, unexpected pain and dropped Henry. Before he could even move, another thing struck the same shoulder, only inches from the first. Pietro cried out and began racing around, hot-tempered and angry. He ripped the ninja stars out of his shoulder, which was bleeding profusely, but he'd give that more attention later.

"Think you're funny, do you?" Pietro called out to the rafters above his head. He couldn't see anybody there, but he knew someone was there. "Come out here and fight like a man, you pussy!"

The responding voice was calm, but booming. It seemed to come from every corner of the room so that Pietro couldn't pinpoint the man's location. "And be thrown about such as them?" Pietro guessed he was gesturing to the ninjas all sprawled over the floor. "No, I don't think so. You call yourself a man? You only win your fights because of your powers."

Anger welled in Pietro's chest. How dare the man insult his fighting methods, the ninjas were the ones unconscious, were they not? "I won the fight fairly; if you saw it then you should know that ten against one isn't exactly equal odds either." Pietro kept moving, he was in no hurry to be hit by another ninja star.

The voice boomed out again, seeming to glean off some of Pietro's anger. "They would have attacked you one at a time, like real fighters, not some cheap speed-off. Did you not see how only one separated himself from the circle? Crowding you under such numbers was only so you would not run! You have no honor! You rely on your powers to push forth your amateur skills. You are nothing."

Pietro was really angry now. No one insulted him like that. "Fine then!" Pietro shouted. "Show yourself and fight me, and I won't use my powers! I'll still kick your honor privy ass!"

From high above in the rafters, a black clad figure dropped down. Pietro laughed heartily at the appearance of his opponent. The man was also a ninja, clad in all loose black clothing with specks of red, here and there. He had a red-bandanna fastened around his right leg, a red belt, and even red over his mask. "You trying out for a fashion show or what?"

The ninja ignored him and instead looked to the side where a fallen sword was. "Choose your weapon."

Pietro didn't hesitate in his picking. He chose the sword that the ninja had looked at. It was unexpectedly light and fitted into his palm nicely. Although his shoulder ached slightly in protest, Pietro ignored it. The ninja drew a sword from his side belt. It was longer and skinnier than Pietro's, but he didn't care.

Pietro had never exactly wielded a sword before, but he wasn't concerned. Sure, this guy should be some trained, ass-kicking, blackbelt-or red, rather, Pietro snickered, ninja boy, but Pietro was Quicksilver. He wouldn't be taken down by a ninja.

The ninja didn't look like he'd move from his position for quite some time, so Pietro took the liberty. Sword raised high above his head, he charged, intending to bring the weapon slashing down upon the man's shoulder.

The ninja had some tricks of his own. Almost faster than his eyes could follow, the ninja struck out high, deflecting his sword to the side and quickly brought it down, grazing Pietro's stomach in a side-sweeping blow. A shallow, clean cut opened up across Pietro's abdomen. The ninja smiled.

Adrenaline running through his veins, Pietro didn't even falter at the shallow cut. Sword deflected to the side, he continued the swing, even through his injury. The ninja ducked out of the way as the sword came across to cleave his head from his neck, narrowly missing the top of his helmet. From there, the ninja kicked out, curving his leg behind Pietro's knees so that Pietro fell forward with the force of his legs giving out. Pietro swung out wildly with the sword, but the ninja simply jumped over it. A cold piece of metal was pressed against his throat.

"The power which makes us strong, when taken away, makes us just as weak as everybody else." Pietro's eyes hardened as they fell on the ninja's calm expression. Pietro could tell, even under the mask, the ninja was thoroughly enjoying himself. The ninja continued to speak and Pietro's hand began roaming the floor around him, secretly searching the floor. "I don't expect one so young to understand such truths. All you young ones think you're invincible, but you're not. Only those who understand-" Pietro's hand cut into something sharp. He smiled.

"Understand this, bastard!" With that, Pietro threw the sharp piece with a little extra speed boost. It struck the bottom of the ninja's jaw and wedged itself in. It wasn't a ninja star, as he had expected, but a sharp piece of glass.

The ninja's speech was halted and slowly, his hand reached up to touch the glass piece. His eyes found Pietro under him. Pietro figured these were the man's last minutes.

The ninja lifted his other hand and something shot out of it, hitting Pietro full in the chest. Pietro writhed on the floor. Whatever the man had done to him, it sent pain through every pore in his system. He convulsed uncontrollably, barely able to keep his eyes open as the ninja's figure roamed in front of him, harshly pulling out the bloody piece of glass.He carelessly threw it to the side and lifted his sword to split John right in half.

"Pickin' on kids, bub?" Before the statement was even finished, six identical claws poked through the man's chest. The ninja stared down at them for a minute, his sword falling uselessly to the side, before the claws were ripped out of his chest and the ninja fell to the ground, lifeless.

Logan stood behind the fallen ninja, giving Pietro a curious look before he sniffed the air, as if testing it or something. His eyes hardened. "You're one of them!"

Pietro didn't take this to mean anything good. He scrambled out of the way as Logan lunged for him and threw Henry over his shoulder. He was at the door before Logan even realized he wasn't on the floor anymore. Pietro grinned. "Thanks for the help!" He zoomed out of the room. Logan roared in fury and stampeded after the speedster.

-----

**"Big angry black man coming our way."**

Remy chuckled. "Dat's Bandit. Dis should be fun." He hopped off the seat and moved closer to Wanda.

Wanda frowned, watching the man through the screen. "Okay, never mind. He just changed into a slight, still angry blue woman. That your boss?" Wanda had never seen Mystique before, but she had been told about the shape shifter and her preferred form of completely blue skin laced over with sharp, pointy scales.

"Ahh, dat it is. Wonder what she's here fo'. De X-Men did let her join de team, maybe she's here t' pick up Roguey. We don' want dat t' happen."

"I don't get you." Wanda shook her head at him, pulling away from the screen. She leaned back against the computer set. "You don't have any significant reason to hold Rogue. They already know about your plan and you're low, but not low enough to use Rogue as a bargaining chip. What the hell do you still want her around for?"

Remy shrugged, still watching the approaching figure of Mystique on the screen. "Don' know. She's a fun _fille_ t' have around."

Wanda gave him a look. "A fun girl to annoy and flirt with, you mean."

"She needs some pesterin'." In a rare moment of seriousness, Remy turned from the screens and walked back to the far wall, leaning back against it. He didn't look at Wanda, but his gaze was unnecessary. "People avoid dangerous mutants, especially ones who can' control deir power. Remy had a similar case. It's subconscious, but it makes her feel good. Feel wanted. Everybody wants t' be liked." Remy grinned, "Even y'."

He had something going with his first statements, but that completely dropped off with his last. "Don't be stupid. I don't care what people think of me or whether they like me or not."

"_Oui_, but y' do. Dink o' it, what if Remy wasn' y' buddy? Or Johnny."

Wanda raised an eyebrow. He had a long way to go if that's how he planned on convincing her. "I'd kill myself over it." She retorted sarcastically, "I wouldn't care; I hardly even consider you a friend."

"What if y' didn' have Pietro?" Remy asked slowly, measuring her reaction.

Wanda didn't even blink. "So? I'd be the same without him."

"Y' really dink so?" Remy challenged, "Y' really dink y' would be jus' fine an' dandy? Remy don' really dink y' would be de same person."

"I never said I was fine and dandy. I just wouldn't care. Shit happens, move on with it."

"Dat y' philosophy? 'Cause shit does happen, dat true, but sometimes y' need t' dwell on it jus' a little instead o' ignorin' it altogether. Y' need t' let out once in a while, _heh?_ Otherwise, de shit will build up inside, _non?_"

It was completely uncharacteristic of Remy to take anything seriously. Their whole conversation was weird. Wanda didn't even know why she was still talking to him. "Let your problems stay that way. You shouldn't put your troubles on other people. People have enough problems to worry about without needing your own."

"An' dat," Remy glanced up at her, "Is what we call de life o' a loner. Y' could be a great poster kid fo' teenage angst, y' know?"

"I'm twenty-two." Wanda stood with her back leaning against the computer wall and looked away from him with a shake of her head as the door opened behind her. Mystique slipped into the room and shut the door again without so much as making a silent creak of the door. Remy turned at the light fall of her foot against the ground and grinned.

"'Ey Blue. Where's de uniform?"

Mystique didn't even bother to respond to the smartass question. "You've already shut down the systems? Security and all?"

Remy nodded. "Remy expected slightly more o' a challenge when doin' it, but Remy guess de Bandit jus' never be as smooth as de Gambit-y' see how he tried t' copy as close t' Remy's name as he could get? Dat boy's jealous o' Remy's pure skills."

Mystique ignored his boasting as her eyes fell upon Wanda. "Who's she?"

"Dat?" Remy asked, casting a sideways glance at Wanda. There was no one else in the room Mystique could have been specifying. She gave him a cold look. "Dat's Wanda, Wanda Maximoff, she de partner dat Remy spoke of. Her an' her brother, Pietro. Dey de newest additions."

Mystique's eyes held something that Remy hadn't ever seen before. He couldn't place it, but Mystique didn't move her eyes off Wanda. "Maximoff…" She muttered under her breath, too silent for even Remy to hear.

Mystique knew the name. She knew it very well. Wanda Maximoff. Erik had a daughter, a daughter who resented him because of his numerous mistakes in her childhood. A daughter who changed her name, changed to Maximoff. Wanda Maximoff was Erik's daughter. An insane gleam appeared in Mystique's eyes as she gazed at Wanda.

"Do you mind?" Wanda asked coldly, lifting her head only a moment to return Mystique's gleaming eyes with a hollow glare.

Mystique tore her gaze away, but remained lost in her thoughts. A small smile graced her delicate features, but it was not a warm smile. Remy was still staring at her, confounded, but Mystique didn't care. "Someone else is coming." Mystique took Remy's focus off of her.

Remy turned to the screens just as the door behind him bust open and a 7 ft 9 tall, dark figure filled the doorway. It took both parties a second to register the new arrival. "REMY!" The figure thundered.

"Ut oh." Remy dived aside as the man lunged at him. Unfortunately, Bandit crashed into the row of computers directly behind Remy. The back of his hands and arms scraped against the metal, sending a shock through the whole system. Wanda, who was leaning against the computers was electrified as the computers all lit up with electrical energy.

Wanda couldn't even scream. It was all over in a second, as Bandit removed himself from the ground and jumped at Remy again, but it was enough to trigger it. A hollow, empty feeling engulfed Wanda as she clutched her stomach and fell to her knees. "Not now, damnit!" But her body wasn't listening to her. Tremors started in her hands and traveled through her whole system as convulsions wracked her body, instantly making her weak. Sweat pored down from her brow in rivets as she tried to resist the unreversalable process. Limbs barely able to hold herself up, even in a weak kneel, her powers started to go awry.

The worst part of the whole process, the thing she dreaded most, was not the pain or torture or even the eventual death she knew that would take her. It was her power spurts. The periods of uncontrollable power flashes that completely drained her and brought about the most unwanted of results from her powers, they were the part she hated most. They damaged and hurt everything and everyone around her and she couldn't stop them, no matter how hard she had tried. Today was no different.

As Bandit and Remy began facing off, Wanda's erratic power spurts began. The first shot out of her nearly limp fingers and fired at the wall of damaged computers, causing cords to leap out and fly at Mystique.

Mystique had been watching Wanda carefully the whole time, and after she'd been electrocuted, she kept her gaze firmly on Wanda's shaking frame. A small smile graced her face. The cords then jumped out at Mystique and she dodged away, forced to temporarily remove her gaze from Wanda.

Wanda, in her critical state, neither noticed Mystique's obsession with her or Remy's fight proceeding with Bandit. Wanda cried out in pain as the new wave of weakness overcame her and her head began the familiar pounding. She wanted nothing more than the mercy of unconsciousness, but knew it would not come. Her body was against her. It would not give her restful peace; only continue fighting her until she was destroyed.

Wanda fell even further down on her knees and covered her head in her arms, clenching her teeth against the pain and willing it away. Her eyes did not grow watery in her period of torture, but her soul was further ripped in anguish of her situation. Low mumbles and cursed screams came from her trembling frame.

All the while, Mystique stared, transfixed, watching Wanda suffer.

----

**Remy was obviously more skilled than Bandit.** Having been trained as a thief and a fighter his entire life; he outmatched Bandit's poor skills of only two years within the guild. Still, that didn't make the fight _that _much easier. Bandit was a big man-and he was strong. If any one of those punches he threw managed to land, Remy guessed he'd be out cold. So far, that hadn't managed to happen, but he'd come close. Remy would have to be careful of Bandit's electrical touch too. That could be just as deadly.

Remy evaded another fist and hopped across to the opposite side, throwing three charged cards as he went. The cards hit their targets. One exploded at Bandit's feet and the other two in front of his chest, throwing the heavy, muscular man back a few steps, but not managing to throw him over. Remy continued the attack by drawing out his bo-stick and cleanly hit Bandit against his back with a loud _thwack. _The thick leather coat Bandit was wearing protected Remy against being electrocuted by the strike.Bandit fumbled, but did not fall.

A cry was heard from the corner of the room and Remy turned to see Wanda, crumpled against the floor, heaving and shaking. "Wanda!" His moment of split attention caught him in trouble, though, as a large, ham-sized fist crashed into his stomach.

Remy was thrown back and only stopped when his back crashed against the opposite wall, where he slid to the ground. He tried to get up, but Bandit was there too soon, picking up Remy by the front of his coat and sneering into his face. "Time t' die," Remy swallowed thickly.

-----

**"It's dis room!"** Bella pointed excitedly to an offhand door ahead of them. An explosive noise seemed to come from the room, shaking the floor even under their feet. Rogue's eyes widened.

"Let's go!" Bella didn't need to be told twice, she tore at the handle of the door just as something again exploded and the door twisted out of place on its own, to fall into a pile of woodchips at their feet. Bella didn't seem to care.

Bella ran into the room in time to see Bandit pick up Remy by the front of his coat, ready to make the killing blow. "REMY!" Bella's hands glowed a bright blue, so bright it was painful to look at, and a stream of the blue light shot directly at Bandit.

Just as Bandit was about to touch Remy's face and kill him by electrifying him to death, he was struck in the side by a horrible burning sensation and thrown across the room, his grip on Remy slackened. He was dead before he landed.

Remy turned, a bit confused, in time to be mauled by Bella as she jumped on him and wrapped her legs tightly around his midsection. Remy nearly fell, but managed to stay standing as Bella's arms wrapped around his neck. "Bella?!" Remy was confused, but Bella silenced him by pressing her mouth firmly against his.

Rogue saw this scene, but was then distracted as another yell rose up from the far corner. From her vantage point, Rogue could just make out Wanda's shaking form on all fours as she closed her eyes, trying to will away whatever had taken hold of her. "Wanda!" Rogue rushed over to Wanda's side.

Wanda's eyes flicked open and found Rogue. Rogue was only a little surprised to see them at a dark scarlet color before Wanda's eyes widened again and a hand went over her stomach. "NO! Get…away!" The effort of a few words was too much and she collapsed against the ground. Rogue made to help her, but a stream of scarlet light spilled out from Wanda's fingertips, shooting out directly at Rogue.

The light hit Rogue fully in the chest. Rogue screamed as she was thrown back against the wall and crumpled to the floor in a heap. A strange feeling overcame her. She had never particularly felt it before. It was only slightly painful, but a bad feeling all the same. She seemed, emptier, somehow. The feeling quickly evaporated as something-light, the only thing Rogue could say it was, seemed to fill her from her chest to her fingers, almost bursting out of her. The light was painful, burning, screaming to be released, yet Rogue didn't know how. Her bullet wound screamed most in protest to the foreign feeling as Rogue felt the stitches ripping apart. Within seconds, the light died down, yet the tingly feeling remained.

Rogue sat up and wiped the beads of sweat off her face. She glanced around, temporarily forgetting where she was before her eyes landed on a familiar, not welcome picture. Mystique stood in the corner adjacent to her, staring at Wanda as if mesmerized by the girl's pain. Before Rogue could comprehend anything, her fingers twitched and a red jet of light shot out from them, aimed at Mystique. It missed, but Rogue jerked back her hand as if she'd been burned. The tingle was still there as the light died away. What was going on?

John burst into the room, took one look around before his eyes fell on Wanda and he scrambled to her side, casting Rogue a glance as he went. Wanda was either too weak or didn't care enough to protest again as John put a hand over her back and helped lift her off the floor into her kneeling position. Bella whispered something into Remy's ear and Mystique remained standing, staring at Wanda.

Rogue swallowed back her fear and climbed to her feet as a big, blue, furry beast came in the broken door. He took a look around at the destruction with an 'Oh my' before Rogue launched at him, wrapping her arms around his midsection and burying her face in his fur. "Dr. McCoy!"

"Rogue?" Hank looked mildly surprised as he returned Rogue's hug. "We've missed you. Are you alright?" Rogue turned her face up to him and Hank gasped. "Goodness! Rogue, what happened?!"

"What?" Rogue asked worriedly. Hank had already seen the destruction around them. What else was wrong?

"Rogue, you're eyes! What happened?"

Rogue rubbed at her eyes. "What's wrong with mah eyes?"

Hank looked very troubled indeed, but before he could say anything else, a whirl of wind scuttled past, marking Pietro's entrance as he rushed to the other side of Wanda. Wanda's episode was nearly done now, but she was still trembling and breathing heavily.

Hank opened his mouth to speak, but a yell from behind cut him off. "Move it, furball!" Logan roughly shoved his way past and leapt at Pietro, claws extended.

"Logan, don't!" Logan's hands were already wrapped around Pietro's throat, choking him. At Rogue's yell, he loosened his grip somewhat, but kept his hands around Pietro's throat and didn't turn to Rogue.

"Rogue! You're okay?" He sounded half-shocked at the question. "Don't worry, darlin', we're gunna get ya out of here for good." He was about to return to choking Pietro when Rogue yelled out.

"Don't hurt them, Logan!" At this, Logan dropped Pietro and did turn to stare at Rogue. His jaw dropped.

"Rogue! What'd they do to you?!" He ran at Rogue in full speed and Rogue was half-afraid he'd maul her over, but instead, he swooped her off her feet and looked deeply into her eyes. "What'd they do to you?" He repeated, abit more calmly, worry edging his voice and his features.

"Nothin'! They didn't do anythin'! Why do y'all keep asking meh that? Ah'm fine!" Rogue had drawn the attention of the others too. As they looked at her, shock was evident in the gasps and expressions. "Someone tell meh what's goin' on!"

Hank's eyes fell upon Wanda. "Wanda? Wanda Maximoff?" Wanda's episode was nearly over. She still shivered, but managed, somehow, despite the weakness and her near-death encounter again with her fighting cells, to look angry and intimidating.

"You're…you're Dr. Henry McCoy, aren't you?" Hank nodded. Wanda's eyes flashed scarlet and she ripped herself from Pietro and John's grasps, lunging at Hank. "YOU RUINED MY LIFE!"

Rogue, who was closest, squeezed out of Logan's grasp and made to stop Wanda. Before that happened, however, a jet of red light shot from her fingers again and Wanda struck an invisible wall that gleamed red where she struck. She fell back and stared in horror at Rogue while John and Pietro came up behind her.

Rogue looked down at her hands, terrified and awestruck at the same time. That was the second time it had happened. How could she have Wanda's powers? She hadn't touched Wanda recently, she shouldn't be able to use Wanda's gift…yet she was. And she didn't even know how.

Wanda couldn't even find words, only staring at Rogue in horror before her angry eyes flicked back to Hank, who looked abet shocked. Remy was the first to break the silence. "What's going on?"

Rogue couldn't answer him. The question hung in the air until Ororo appeared in the doorway behind everyone. Her eyes landed on Rogue. "Rogue! You're okay!" She went to hug Rogue, but stopped. "Child, you're eyes! What happened?!"

"I think we'd all like to know that." Wanda replied harshly, her gaze back on Rogue and her eyes hardened. "How?" It was a question only for Rogue. To the others, it might seem like Rogue had just absorbed Wanda, but that hadn't happened. Rogue hadn't touched Wanda.

"Ah-Ah don't know. When the light thing hit meh, Ah jus' sortah flew back an' got this…this light feelin'." Rogue paused. "An' ya powers jus' flicked. Ah don't know how." Rogue gave another pause again, but continued a little shakily. "What's wrong with mah eyes?"

Before anyone else could answer, Wanda spoke up again. Anger burned deep in her green eyes. "They're mine. When I use my powers, they're scarlet. Yours are." Rogue cowered back a little at the revelation. Silence fell over them again before Bella spoke.

"Well dis isn't awkward." The sarcastic twinge could barely be heard in her voice. Addressing Storm, she asked. "Do y' have a separate place around? Bandit's henchmen will be swarmin' de place soon."

If anybody had an opposition to the suggestion, they didn't mention it. Still confused and not knowing what to do, mind-boggled and awkward as it was, together, the X-Men, Mystique, Remy's troop, and Bella made their way to the X-Jet. There was a lot of explaining that had to be done.


	11. Anger

**Light footfalls slapping down against the pavement told Rogue that someone was trying to catch up with her.** It was only a second later that the person caught up with her and Rogue found them to be Wanda, striding alongside her. Wanda didn't immediately look at her, but Rogue knew she was addressing her. "Don't make any hand gestures or flick your fingers. It'll only trigger my mutation."

Rogue bit her lip, trying to keep her hands still and her fingers steady. It was rare for Wanda to talk to anyone when not first spoken to, even rarer for her to be giving helpful advice. Rogue wondered what the older mutant was up to. Sure enough, Wanda had a different motive for speaking with her. After a slight hesitation, she cast Rogue a furtive glance from the corner of her eye. Rogue saw Wanda's jaw tighten slightly. "You…you haven't had any more 'visions', have you? Of me, I mean."

It was Rogue's turn to appear nervous. She bit down hard on her lower lip and fought to keep her hands from trembling. She remembered all too well how this had played out last time. Wanda seemed to notice her hesitation and nervous habit of biting her bottom lip. "What did you see?" The question wasn't intimidating or angry as Rogue supposed it would be, it was simply put out. If Rogue didn't know better, she might have guessed Wanda was simply curious about a worldly matter, nothing personal or sinister.

"Ah…" Rogue started, not really knowing how to go off from there. "Yes, Ah did…" Rogue fumbled with her words, not wanting a repeat of the last session. Her last vision of Wanda had been even more private and personal than the first.

"Of what?" There was no sharp edge to Wanda's tone. Rogue might even have said she was relaxed, if it weren't for her hunched shoulders or tightened jaw.

"Ah…Ah saw ya visit with Dr. Braveheart." It was the kindest, most unrevealing way Rogue could put it. She chanced another glance at Wanda. Wanda has shut her eyes and seemed to be digesting that new chunk of information before her green eyes popped open again. With a sort of desperation, she half-whispered, half-mumbled to Rogue.

"Don't tell anyone what you saw."

"Ah wouldn't do that." Rogue assured her, Wanda looked less than convinced. Her eyes still held the twinge of panic from Rogue's revelation.

Her expression seemed to harden with resolve as the old, threatening Wanda came back. "I mean it, Rogue. If you tell anyone-"

"Ya'll kill me, Ah've got it." Rogue finished. At least Wanda hadn't started off the conversation by threatening her, that was a start, right? Though that might also be because they were surrounded by four adult X-Men too…Rogue discarded the second thought. Wanda was being true and meaningful to her for a second there. "Are…" Rogue began uncertainly, not really sure where she was going with this herself, "Are ya afraid?"

Wanda gave her a cold look. "We're not that close." Rogue drew back a little; afraid she might have brought back more of Wanda's anger, but Wanda just lifted her eyes in a 'whatever' kind of way and shook her head. "Look, I don't know how or why you've got my powers now, but I just don't want you getting any more visions of me. You've seen too much already."

Rogue clamped her mouth shut and forced her gaze at the path in front of her. _You've seen too much already. _What did that mean? "Are ya angry with meh?" Rogue asked tentatively, aware she was on thin ice.

Wanda waited just a few seconds too long to respond. Her slight, almost unnoticeable hesitation told Rogue everything. "I just don't want you seeing my life, okay? Try not to have your visions, if you can help it. At least not of me."

Rogue had a feeling that she didn't have to tell Wanda that wasn't how it worked, that Wanda already understood that, so she kept her mouth shut anyway. A friendly, familiar voice interrupted her thoughts before she could think any deeper on Wanda's situation. "Hey, _chere, _y' bleedin'." Bella came up behind Rogue and Wanda sped up her pace so that she was out of the conversation.

"What?"

"Y' bleedin'. Y' shoulder's bleedin'." Rogue felt a hand gently press against her shoulder and it seemed to bring all realization back to the throbbing that had been forced to the back of her mind. Rogue flinched away, but she felt Bella's other hand grip her other shoulder in a tight, yet gentle hold. "Hol' still, Roguey." Rogue stopped walking and did as she was told. Bella rolled up her sleeve until she could clearly see the bullet wound. A second later, Bella yanked back hard and pain flared through her entire shoulder. Rogue yelped and jerked forward, away from Bella's hands as Bella triumphantly held up a thin string-like wire. "Had t' pull dat out, otherwise it'd heal over it. Dat'd be even worse."

Rogue swallowed. "Ah don' know about ya, Bella, since ya always seem ta jus' blow these kind'sa things off, but Ah do lihke ta be warned when someone's about ta rip mah shoulder apart." Her fingers fumbled around the back of her shirt, searching for a way to stanch the new wave of throbbing before Bella's hand gently found hers and moved her hand away.

"Well, don' play wit' it, _fille_. Y' tryin' t' make it worse o' somethin'? Y' have t' be stitched back up soon, y' bleedin' all over de place." Somehow, Rogue wasn't reassured by Bella's bluntness. Bella grabbed ahold of Rogue's shoulder again, this time a little softer, and ripped off a piece of cloth. Wrapping it around Rogue's wounded shoulder; she tied it securely at the top. "Dat'll hold y' off 'till we get where we're goin'."

Remy, who was ahead with the other group, pulled back. "Come on, _filles, _dey gunna drive off without y' two." He grabbed Rogue's wrist and pulled her forward for emphasis, slinging his other arm around Bella's shoulders. They came upon a huge jet that Rogue recognized as the X-Jet. Climbing aboard, Rogue flinched at a big _thunk._

"Hey, hey, hey!" Remy called out, glaring at Pietro. "Be careful dere, dat's my brother!" Pietro had just dropped Henry's unconscious form and hurried to his sister's side where John was also. All three of them looked distinctly uncomfortable and Wanda's eyes never left Hank, who was oblivious to her penetrating stare.

Bella, Remy, and Rogue all took a seat in the back, close to, but facing opposite of Pietro, John, and Wanda. Henry's unconscious form was sprawled across the middle of the floor; Ororo and Hank were up front, flying the jet, Mystique sat in the furthest corner from all of them, staring intently at Wanda, who was too preoccupied with staring at Hank to notice, and Logan seated himself directly between the two young groups of mutants, eyes flashing both ways as if he expected one of them to jump up and attack.

"Where's dis jet goin'?" Bella asked curiously, looking at Remy for answers.

Remy shrugged. "Remy expect de X-Men be takin' us back t' de mansion. Y' wanna be dropped off, Bella?"

Bella shook her head. "No, no, dis fine. Take a little break from de Assassins."

Rogue frowned at this. After speaking to Bella, she could understand why the woman would want to stay with Remy for the time being, but it wasn't sensible to go all the way to New York for a little visit, was it? "Won't they be lookin' fohr ya?" Rogue asked curiously. Surely a group of assassins would miss the daughter of the man in charge?

"'Course not." Bella easily deferred with a wave of her hand. "Dey jus' dink I'll be out on a mission o' somethin'. When y' an assassin, y' always be in an' out o' a place, even home base."

Logan seemed to perk at the mention of this, turning his gaze intently upon the three. Rogue tried to pretend not to notice. "Oh." Rogue turned to Remy, her frown still in place.

"Hey," Bella piped up, "Turn y' back t' me, Roguey. I gotta stitch y' up."

"Here?" A little color drained from Rogue's face. "Now? Do we have ta?"

"Y' don' wanna keep bleedin', do y'?" Rogue turned slightly and flinched as Bella started unwrapping the ripped material from Rogue's shoulder. Remy watched for a moment before interrupting.

"Remy'll do it, Bella. Y' don' have gloves t' protect y'. Roguey's touch is a bitter one." Bella moved aside and let Remy take the reins. It didn't matter that Remy's gloves had no fingertips; he was wearing at least some protection which made him less susceptible to accidentally brushing her exposed skin. Rogue winced as she felt Remy's hand, the one with the needle from Bella that she had ripped out earlier; remove the rest of the wrapping. Remy seemed to notice her reaction and paused for a moment. "Don't worry, _chere,_ Remy be careful." Remy attempted to roll up her sleeve, which had fallen back with the release of the temporary bondage, but it just rolled back again. "Y' gunna have t' lift y' shirt a bit, _chere._"

Rogue's head whipped around to face the surely smiling Remy, assuming he was starting his flirtations again, but Remy wasn't smiling. Calm looking, neutral for once, he neither looked sad or happy. When he became the object of Rogue's piercing glare, he backed off, putting aside the needle and lifted the wrapping. "Dat's okay if y' not comfortable wit' it, _chere._ Remy can let Hank fix y' up back at de school." He lifted the wrapping to wrap Rogue's shoulder.

Rogue stared. "Who are ya an' what have ya done ta Remy LeBeau?"

At this, Remy did favor her with a smile, though it was a different kind than what Rogue had seen. His smile was genuinely warm and infectious; he wasn't making fun of her or putting her into any kind of awkward position at the time, which only made the smile more heart-felt. He looked very handsome, smiling like that.

Rogue held out her hand, stopping Remy from wrapping her shoulder again. "No, it's okay. Ya cahn do it."

"Y' sure?" Remy asked, surprised at her sudden change of heart. Rogue nodded and pressed the needle, which had carelessly fallen to the ground, back into his palm. Bella wore a thoughtful expression, staring at Rogue as if she were seeing her for the first time. When Remy asked her something, she didn't immediately respond and he had to poke her to get her attention back. "Bella, back t' reality world. Y' look dazed." Before Bella could say anything else, he continued, putting on his traditionary, more familiar, charming smile. Which, when Rogue reflected, didn't look altogether that bad either. "What? Y' imaginin' Remy naked, aren't y'?"

Bella slugged him playfully against the back. "Don' y' wish dat were true." Rogue bit her bottom lip and looked away from Bella. Rogue had a nasty suspicion that Bella hadn't been thinking about Remy at all, she had been staring at Rogue…what had Bella been thinking? The answer was right in front of her, but Rogue couldn't grasp it, no matter how obvious it seemed.

Remy shrugged it off, still grinning, and motioned for Bella to grab the end of the needle for a second. He fixed his gloves so that they covered further up on the fingertips before lifting the back of Rogue's shirt a bit. Rogue shivered at the sudden cool air against her back.

There was a terrible roar and Logan appeared directly in-between Remy and Rogue's back. Shoving Remy's hand aside, he grabbed Rogue's arm and pulled her away. "I'll fix this." Rogue wasn't sure what he was indicating until she felt his warm flesh against her wrist.

"Logan!" It was more of a yelp of surprise than fear and Rogue inwardly cursed for not making further note of Logan's presence beforehand. Rogue could already feel her powers activate and draining Logan's energy. Her skin started knitting itself over the bullet wound, healing on its own accord. Rogue jerked away instinctively and Logan let go of her wrist, perhaps knowing the damage was healed or otherwise surprised by her yelp and jerk. Logan's hardened brown eyes fell upon Remy and warned off any idea he might have had about getting closer before roaming to a stop to fall on Rogue, loosing some of the anger at the sight of her. "He was jus' tryin' ta help, Logan."

Logan growled lowly, showing his exact perspective on the matter before dragging Rogue over to the seat next to his and forcing her down next to him. Rogue cast a glance at Remy, giving him a look that said more than enough, and Remy turned away, siding into an even further corner with Bella. Rogue turned her gaze back to Logan, who shifted uncomfortably and brought up a topic just to break the silence. "Tell me what happened from when they kidnapped you." At this, he sent a glare towards Remy, perhaps only to emphasize his point which Rogue already received.

Rogue settled into her seat, assuming that's where she'd be for the rest of the ride. She told Logan of what had happened and how she'd gotten so far from home, but skimmed over most all of the parts where Remy was being a guy. Logan already disliked him; there was no use in telling him things that would fuel his anger further. It was just hard to understand. Rogue had been kidnapped, yes, and she'd been trying to get away, but with the last few bouts of incidents, Rogue had become closer to her kidnappers. They could almost be considered friends. Almost. Logan wouldn't understand that, so Rogue skimmed a lot, but told Logan in detail other happenings so the blanks appeared filled.

By the time she was done, they had reached the school and were filing out, one by one. Pietro, John, and Wanda were talking among themselves in hushed voices, eyes trained on Hank's back. Mystique left next, alone and still lost in her own thoughts, watching Wanda's back. Remy and Bella left after, arm in arm with each other. Ororo was next in sight and she cast Logan a glance before leaving. "Logan, if you could carry Henry down to the infirmity, that would be much appreciated." Logan grunted which Ororo took as reluctant agreement and he turned and left. Logan threw the still-unconscious Henry over his shoulder and marched out of the jet, not glancing back and assuming Rogue was following him.

Rogue trudged after Logan until he took the elevator to the infirmity to set Henry down; there she followed Ororo to Xavier's old office, now Ororo's. Everybody, minus Hank, Henry, and Logan were gathered around the desk.

Ororo sighed deeply before turning to Remy. "Remy…"

"Remy'll rewire de money back t' y'. Don' worry, Stormy."

"We have some other issues to discuss, Remy. Stay back after, would you?" Remy gave a slight nod and Ororo added as an afterthought. "And don't call me Stormy."

Pietro gave a quick look at everyone in the room before he asked. "Well then, what now?"

Ororo frowned. "Why did you steal the money if you're now just going to give it back?"

"We didn't exactly expect to just give it back." John shot back crossly. It was clear that he wasn't on the same level as Remy to just give back the money.

"You don't seem overly disappointed about it." Rogue pointed out.

"Would y' rather have us fight about it an' not give back de money?" Remy asked.

"No, no…" Ororo mused, but it was clear that she was lost in her own thoughts.

Rogue shifted her position and a red jet of light shot out of her fingers, hitting the window and curving it out of shape. Rogue squeaked and buried her hands against her chest as Wanda's gaze lifted towards Rogue and Rogue found herself on the receiving end of a hollow glare. Ororo seemed to come back to the present and stared at Rogue curiously. "It hasn't worn off yet?"

Rogue bit her lower lip. "Ororo…Ah haven't touched Wanda recently."

Ororo seemed mildly alarmed. "However do you have her powers then?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Wanda seemed to have gained back her usual coldness. Rogue turned her gaze to the floor.

Remy frowned. "Y' eyes aren't red anymore, dough."

"They're not?"

"Yet you still have my powers." Wanda bit off.

"Rogue, go to the infirmity. Wanda, you too." Storm commanded sternly.

Wanda turned her glare from Rogue to Ororo. "Excuse me?" She directly coldly, as if Ororo had just spat something wicked at her. "I don't think so. There's no reason for us to stay around here. Remy can give you back your money and we're gone."

"No." Ororo objectly sharply. "Until we find out what's wrong with Rogue, you're to stay here."

Wanda didn't seem to be listening, or she didn't care. Roughly pushing past the stationary Mystique who was in front of the door, she reached for the handle before Mystique grabbed her wrist. "Stay here."

Wanda's furious gaze fell upon Mystique and any lesser person would have melted under the intensity of her glare. Remy however, spoke up. "Wanda, calm down. We stay here fo' jus' a little while. It'll take Remy a bit t' transfer de funds anyway."

Remy's word seemed to be law. Wanda yanked her wrist out of Mystique's grasp and gritted her teeth in protest.

"Would you please walk with Rogue to the infirmity?" Ororo asked calmly, trying to soothe over the conversation.

"I'm not letting that blue moron touch me!" Wanda hissed lowly. If Rogue hadn't seen her memories, she might have been clueless as to what Wanda was talking about, but as it was, she knew.

Ororo kept her calm exterior. "He won't have to, as it is, Rogue has your powers so it'd be best to keep her near you to stop accidents from happening."

Wanda stormed out of the room, looking murderous. Rogue hesitantly followed her, all too aware of the results of Wanda's temper. With half a glance back over her shoulder, Rogue bit down hard on her bottom lip and followed the furious woman to the infirmity.


	12. Friends

_A/N: This is my revenge for nearly all of you calling Wanda a bitch! I love Wanda! (eww, not like that, sickos) lol, I do love hearing your opinions, they make me laugh. Thanks for sticking with me, faithful fans :)_**  
**

**Wanda was visibly shaking as she sat upright stiffly, glaring down at the floor and trying to lose herself from her surroundings.** Rogue winced as Hank inserted a needle into Rogue's arm and drew out some blood into a vial. With a glance at Wanda, which she ignored or didn't see, he walked off further to the connecting medical room to analyze Rogue's blood.

Rogue glanced up uncertainly at Wanda. "Your thing—it's not starting up again, is it?"

"No." Wanda answered stiffly, not bothering to look at Rogue.

"Are you alright? You're trembling." Wanda's jaw clenched tighter and she didn't respond. "Wanda, you're really pale-"

Wanda's head snapped up and her piercing green eyes locked on to Rogue's, efficiently silencing what Rogue was going to say. Wanda looked horrible. Her sharp green eyes were bloodshot, her light auburn locks hung loosely over her face, almost hiding her eyes. Her jaw was clenched so tightly it looked as if she'd shatter her own teeth, her slightly pale skin had gone the color of sour milk and her entire expression held something far beyond anger. "Are…you're afraid."

"Shut up." Wanda hissed lowly through gritted teeth, once again returning her maddened gaze to the floor. Though her fear seemed to be mixed with rage, Wanda _was _afraid. Rogue didn't really know what to do with the realization.

Before she could think of anything to say back, Hank came back into the room. "Rogue! You're DNA structure has changed!"

Rogue gave him a questioning look. "What does that mean?"

"I've studied your current blood cells with the last sample I took and your DNA has completely altered in more than a few places. I'm going to need you to tell me exactly what happened when you first noticed you had Wanda's powers." Wanda flinched at her name, but Hank appeared too excited to notice.

Rogue recounted to him exactly what happened and the circumstances of how it had happened. Hank nodded along to the tale and he seemed to be piecing it together as he went. When she was finished, Hank looked ready to implode. "Rogue! It seems that your mutation absorbed Wanda's gift when it hit you and seeped into your bloodstream, recoding your DNA to match pieces of hers!"

"What does that mean?" Rogue asked again, not really following Hank.

"You've permanently absorbed Wanda's mutation."

"What?!" Both girls' voices raised and called out simultaneously. "How did it happen?" Rogue asked, concerned. She didn't necessarily want Wanda's mutation, especially not permanently and she knew Wanda would not want her to have it either. "Ah mean, Ah don't absorb other mutations when they hit meh. Why Wanda's?"

Her eye twitched at the murder she saw in the other woman's glare out of the corner of her eyes. At this question, Hank faltered. "Wanda's mutation is…different."

Rogue already knew, from the way he faltered and explained it in four simple words. It was because Wanda's mutation had been self-inflicted. It would not have happened otherwise. To Rogue's surprise, Wanda actually spoke directly to Hank. "Has she absorbed my…condition?" Rogue froze. She hadn't even thought of that. Yet Wanda had. Was Wanda concerned? For her? Rogue slowly raised her eyes to Wanda again, who was no longer looking down at the floor or sitting. Standing up tall, Wanda was staring directly at Hank, a little paler than usual and still with bloodshot eyes, but no longer shaking.

Hank, it seemed, had not thought of it either. He faltered again. "I…I don't know." He looked extremely apprehensive and jittery towards Wanda, something Rogue had never seen Hank as. It was understandable, and under different circumstances, it may have been comical, but right now, it scared Rogue.

"Is that possible?" Rogue squeaked softly, her voice dying in her throat.

"It c-could be." Hank stammered, looking extremely uncomfortable. "I'd have to take a blood sample…" He explained hesitantly.

Wanda closed her eyes. "Do it." Rogue understood what a big movement this was for Wanda, and apparently Hank did too. She didn't quite understand it though. Why was Wanda doing this for her? They weren't friends. Yet Wanda, who appeared to hate everything and everybody, who was unadmittably scared to death of Hank, the man who had completely ruined her life, in her opinion, was willing to _let_ Hank draw blood from her. The woman, who, not an hour ago, screamed in fury about not letting Hank so much as touch her. Rogue didn't understand.

Slowly, as if afraid she would attack him for doing so, Hank took a needle and vile and approached her. Wanda took off one of her long, opera gloves and turned the other way as Hank drew some blood into the vial. He finished quickly and scurried into the other room and the two girls were left alone again.

"Ah don't get it…" Rogue started slowly, "why would ya let him do that fohr meh?"

For a long time, Wanda didn't answer and Rogue took it that Wanda herself might not even know, but after the long, extended pause, Wanda spoke, her words barely breaking a whisper. "I wouldn't wish my condition upon anybody." She was turned away from her, so that Rogue couldn't see her face.

Rogue swallowed. For such a hateful person, it was an awfully selfless thing to say. "You're misunderstood, Wanda."

Wanda gave a short, mirthless chuckle. "Nice thing of you to say, though hardly true. Don't think me up as a good person; you'd be understanding a lie." Rogue opened her mouth to speak, but Wanda seemed to know what she was going to say. "One quality doesn't make up for everything, Rogue. It's just one less mark against me."

Hank came in then, breathing deeply and staring at Rogue. Wanda still didn't turn as she addressed him. "Well?"

"Rogue's fine. The DNA change caused similar happenings as in Wanda's cells, but Rogue's already a mutant so they didn't clash. You're going to be fine, Rogue." Rogue breathed a sigh of relief and it almost seemed like Wanda did too.

"What now?" Rogue asked, fidgeting a little.

"You're going to need to learn to control Wanda's powers. It's permanently changed your DNA, which secures the question that it is indeed permanent. Other than that, you're excused to leave."

Rogue glanced at Wanda who was already on her way to the door. With half a look back at a guilty looking Hank, Rogue scurried after Wanda.

Wanda seemed to know where she was going, even though she'd only been down the hallways once. "Have you been here before?" Rogue asked curiously, wondering how the older mutant knew her way around so well.

"No." Wanda's strides were long; Rogue almost had to jog to keep up.

"Where you going?"

Even if Wanda was going to answer, they ran into an interception on the way. Storm appeared down the hallway and came up to them both, glancing from a now neutral-looking Wanda to Rogue before her gaze fell back on Wanda. "You're going to have to share a room with somebody. We don't have enough."

"Room?"

"Remy instructed that you'd be staying awhile?" Storm put in a question form. Wanda grunted, which she took as reluctant agreement.

"Who would you like to room with?"

"Ah'll room with her." Rogue volunteered. Storm glanced at Wanda for confirmation and Wanda simply grunted again. Storm nodded and walked off.

"Just because I've spoken to you without threatening you, doesn't mean we're best friends." Wanda cast a half-glare down at Rogue as she resumed her pace down the hallway.

"Of course," Rogue agreed, not to offend Wanda but the woman was far from 'best friends' with her. She let out a soft laugh at the thought. "Though, while ya here an' all, maybe ya could teach meh ta control ya powers a little…"

Another grunt. Rogue smiled genuinely. "Ah have a feelin' y' goin' t' get along well with Logan."

---

**Remy sat in front of the computer screen, busily typing away with Mystique behind him, supposedly 'watching' his actions.** Like it'd make any difference if he transferred the money into another bank. The X-Men wouldn't find it. But Remy was being a good boy, he liked the X-Men partially, had an affinity towards Storm and this was his apology for jogging over states with a captive Rogue. "Why y' not protest t' de funds switchin' hands again?" Remy asked the blue woman behind him curiously.

"It doesn't matter now. I'm already in the X-Men, what does it matter where the money goes now?"

That made sense. Remy frowned. "But y' still goin' t' pay us?"

"The agreement was that you'd get to keep what you stole. Now that you're giving it back, that's not my problem." Mystique replied coolly, her gaze locked on the door.

"Remy not sayin' dat he don' care 'bout all de missin' money, but de teammates may be a little upset t' hear dat." Remy explained. Although he didn't have a problem giving back the X-Men's money to save his guilt, his team didn't have the same 'affinity' for the X-Men. "Dey might let somethin' slip if dey're angry." Remy knew threats were all Mystique would respond to, and he didn't have a problem threatening the blue woman.

Mystique's jaw clenched. "How much do you want?"

"Sixty thousand."

"Fine." Remy hadn't expected her to agree so readily. He'd been ready to barter the price back and forth, but it didn't appear that Mystique seemed to care. "You just make sure your team doesn't let anything 'slip' while they're here."

There was silence for a moment, broken only by the sounds of Remy's fast paced typing as he transferred the funds back from bank to bank and secured the X-Men's money a little better. "Why y' want us t' stay here?" Remy asked.

"I don't have to explain my plans to you. If I need your team and services, you'll just be all the closer to call in." Mystique replied stiffly, still gazing at the door.

Remy considered this. Mystique obviously had something else planned; she didn't need them close by to call them in. What could she want with them staying with the X-Men? Security? That couldn't be it. Mystique wasn't afraid of getting caught or anything stupid of the sort.

Mystique remained quiet and quite still, lost in her thoughts. She had seen the girl collapse and a weird 'episode' take control of her. Mystique knew only a little about Erik's siblings, but enough to know that Erik still loved them. That, Mystique reflected, was his weakness. And she had walked right in Mystique's front door. A small smile curved Mystique's usually straight lips. Erik would have to start living in his own hell, and she'd be the cause of it.

---

**Rogue tentatively opened the door to her room and stepped inside; Wanda following after her. **The room was just as she remembered it, though a bit messier, large and spacious with Kitty's clothes lingering around the floor. Kitty was lying on her bed, reading a book, but she glanced over at the sound of her door opening and her eyes widened at the sight of Rogue. "Rogue!" Her voice peaked as she threw the book aside and bolted upright, nearly banging her head against the bottom of Rogue's bunk. Unexpectedly, Kitty jolted off the bed and lunged at Rogue, completely bowling her over in a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay!" Something wet ran into Rogue's shoulder where Kitty's head was buried. Was Kitty…crying?

Wanda arched a skeptical eyebrow at the display. "This is your roommate?" Living with such a girl would not be pleasant.

Kitty pulled away from Rogue and then appeared hesitant. Head turned down, away from Rogue; she couldn't look Rogue in the face. "Rogue, I'm sorry…about Bobby."

"Oh Jesus," Wanda turned to the door. "I can't take this." She left. Rogue might have laughed if it weren't for a distraught-looking Kitty who was actually crying in front of her.

"I-I really never m-meant for anything t-to happen. H-He was like a brother to me, I-"

Rogue interrupted. She could see that Kitty was sorry and she wanted to cause the girl no more anguish than absolutely necessary. "It's alright, Kitty. Ah forgive ya."

But Kitty was shaking her head forcefully. "No, Rogue, you don't understand. I have to say this…you deserve to know." Kitty inhaled raggedly, still unable to look at Rogue. "B-Bobby's changed. He's not the same…he's cruel."

Rogue frowned, what was Kitty getting at? "What happened?" Rogue asked, her interest spiking despite herself. She didn't want to push Kitty further into guilt, but Kitty was doing more than half the pushing herself.

Kitty trembled slightly. "I…he…" she closed her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Rogue. I didn't want to, I really didn't-" But Kitty stopped herself there, trembling again and Rogue understood.

"Ya slept with him?" She didn't know what shocked her more, that Kitty would do something like that when Rogue was her roommate, or that Bobby would… "Oh, God."

Rogue drew in a deep breath. It wasn't like she hadn't known her and Bobby were over, but still. He had sex with her? Just how long must he have been trying to get rid of her to go for Kitty, if that happened within a week? "Kitty, leave." Rogue didn't mean to sound harsh, but it came out that way anyway and Kitty flinched at her tone before standing and walking to the door. She looked back over her shoulder and opened her mouth to say something else, but then thought better of it and left, quietly shutting the door behind her.

---

**Wanda strode out of the room and followed the hallway until she found herself in the main hall. **From there, Wanda took the stairs down to the entrance and fled the mansion, needing the fresh air from outside. She crossed the long front yard before something loud exploded behind her. Wanda jerked around as a bullet flew directly over her right shoulder, nearly skimming the skin.

From out of a nearby tree, a familiar chuckle filled the air and Wanda's eyes narrowed as Bella's head poked out from the bottom of the tree. "_Chere, _if y' go walkin' around a person's shootin' range, y' might get shot. Pay attention t' where y' goin', _heh_?"

"Who the hell's supposed to see you in a tree?" Wanda spat, glowering at the hyped up Assassin. The girl was much too perky for her job description.

"Well dat's de point, _fille._ If y' saw me, dat'd ruin de point o' hidin', wouldn't it?" Bella dropped down from the tree; upside down she flipped in air and landed on her feet gracefully.

Wanda shook her head and began to walk away, but apparently, Bella didn't catch the hint. Or she ignored it, Bella wasn't exactly know for her subtly. "What's wrong, y' look more dour dan usual, Wandy!"

"There's an annoying assassin that's following me." Wanda's eyes flashed. "Don't ever call me that again."

"Well, _fille,_" Wanda silently cursed. Bella was starting to remind Wanda of Remy. Were all Cajuns this annoying? "Bella notices how y' always such a depressin' person. She gunna help y' work on dat." Great, now she was speaking in third person too? Remy and Bella would have made a good match after all. If they were lucky, the two would annoy each other to death.

"Go away."

"_Non, _Bella don' dink so. Y' need some attitude adjustments, Wandy."

Wanda was fuming. It took all her resistance not to just punch the woman in the face. She wasn't all together sure why she wasn't just punching her already. "I'll pay you to go away."

"Bella don' need money, _fille_, but she's honored by de offer." Bella grinned, completely immune to Wanda's perpetually bad mood. "Firs' ding t' take care o' is y' anger problems."

"If you don't leave right now, I'm going to take your pistol and shoot you in the face."

"See _fille!_ Dat's de problems I'm talkin' about! Everythin' with y' is about anger!"

Wanda had enough; she could only stand so much of a perky little assassin pointing out all her attitude problems. She had just reached her limit. Flicking a hand to her side, a red shield-like wave pressed back at Bella and pushed her back. Bella's smile grew as the force pushed her further away from Wanda. "Two can play at dat." Her hands lit up bright blue and Bella directed a stream of plasma, not high powered, but enough to throw her off guard, at Wanda's exposed back.

Wanda lurched forward and tripped, falling down to the ground. The red-shield force pushing Bella disappeared completely and Bella grinningly made her way back to Wanda's side. Wanda was just picking herself off the ground, still on her hands and knees when Bella came up beside her. Wanda's eyes flashed dangerously and she lashed out to knock Bella down.

But Bella was trained and quick. She jumped over Wanda's strike and landed beside her again, pushing Wanda back to the ground. Bella smiled grandly. "Step one, we take care o' y' extra anger."

Wanda didn't have a problem with that step.

---

**Three hours later, Rogue was still sitting on the roof, arms curled around her legs, head buried in her knees, reminiscing on all her times with Bobby and seeing if he had given any little hint, any clue that he'd been unhappy with her. **They had fought, yes, all couples fought, but no matter how hard she tried to think back, no matter how many experiences with him that she recalled, she could not think of one such dire sign to show that he was not being true with her.

It was getting cold outside. The sun had gone down long ago and a light breeze had picked up. The moon shone brightly at its fullest with no clouds to hamper the view of it. Stars remained hidden, far away in the sky, unseen to the eye, but the moon's brightness made up for all the missing spectacles dotting the sky.

Rogue shivered again, cold, yet not noticing the wind's chill as it snuck upon her small frame. Gently rocking herself, Rogue stared out at the moon, searching for answers she didn't have. Searching for truths when all she found was lies.

Something warm and fleshy, a palm, was laid on her shoulder as someone sat down beside her. Rogue looked to her side to see John, similarly staring at the moon. His hand fell from her shoulder as he felt her gaze upon him, but he did not look back. "You've been up here for hours." Rogue turned her head down, back to her knees. "You shouldn't think about it."

"No, Ah shouldn't." Rogue agreed. How she wished she could simply forget it all.

"Yet you are." John paused, smiling softly and bringing his eyes down to study her face. "You were always so good. I guess that's why you choose Bobby. He was the good boy."

"Ya were too wild, John. Ya made a great friend, but ya were too wild." Rogue kept her gaze down, noticing his gaze upon her. "Ah'm glad ya settled ta be mah friend."

"Me too." Rogue was surprised by his honesty and gentleness. "I really liked you Rogue, but I'm glad we never started anything. I wouldn't want to change you."

"Change meh how?"

"I'd have made you a different person. I would have fitted you in my mold of a girlfriend. But I'm happy that I didn't get the chance to. If I'm grateful to Bobby for anything, it's that." John hesitantly put a reassuring arm around her shoulder as tears sprung to Rogue's eyes. "I didn't expect Bobby to hurt you like this."

Rogue was hesitant at first, but eventually she curled into John's arm. "Ah can't remember…any signs of him unhappy with meh."

"Who'd be unhappy with you?" John smiled at her warmly. "Whoever you do end up with is going to be one lucky guy."

"Thanks, John."

After a long moment of just sitting there, John stood and pulled Rogue up too. "Okay, enough of this sappy stuff. I can only be sentimental for so long." John gave a sheepish smile. "Friends, right?"

"Yeah." Rogue nodded, allowing him to lead her to the edge of the roof.

John's smile turned sardonic. "As a friend to friend, that stripper outfit Remy made you wear really did make you look hot." Before Rogue could slug him, he jumped off the roof and swung down from a tree branch, doing a full turn around the branch before landing smoothly on his feet.

The John that Rogue knew was back again. "Asshole!" Rogue shouted down at him, but in the light of the moon, it could be seen that she too, was smiling.


	13. Blackmail

**_A/N: You may believe that Bobby is acting a bit out of character, but fear not! There is an explanation behind everything and what you perceive may not actually be what is! With that, our next chapter..._  
**

**Rogue made her way into the recreation room to find Wanda sitting on one of the couches in front of a TV, nursing more than a few bruises and burns with an ice pack against her wrist. **As Rogue drew nearer, she could make out a diagonal cut above Wanda's right eyebrow that appeared to be crudely stitched together, but what drew Rogue's attention the most was that Wanda was actually smiling. Smiling! The woman _never _smiled! Yet here she was, apparently beaten and grinning happily at the television.

"What the hell happened to you?" John blurted out, not one for known subtly.

Wanda's smile actually grew at the comment as John plopped down on a three person sofa, taking up all three spots himself. "You should see Bella."

"Holy shit!" Rogue exclaimed, unable to keep her own surprise at bay. "What happened?"

"I kicked her ass." Wanda responded, still grinning deliriously. Her speech sounded slightly…slurred? A loud thumping noise started to clank outside the door. "Speak of the devil--and here she comes." The door to the room slammed open again and a heavily limping, slow moving Bella came in, followed by Remy who was shaking his head helplessly. When Rogue looked at him, he merely shrugged.

As Bella came into the light more, her wounds became more evident. Almost half of Bella's face was dark blu-ish black, covering from her left eye all the way down her cheek to the bottom of her jaw where the bruise started to thin out a little. Just like Wanda, there were numerous bruises covering her body, but darker and more clustered than Wanda's. A large slash on her arm marked where something sharp had cut into the skin slightly. Other shallower cuts were scattered about her body, but other than her face, the most noticeable cut was a huge, jagged slice that dodged down her right leg. At least five hundred stitches, done slightly better than Wanda's stitches, dotted up Bella's leg as she limped closer to them.

Rogue gasped. "Bella!"

Bella was also grinning manically. "Do y' see it, _chere?_ Look! She's _smiling!_ Bella's de best damn people-person dere is!"

"Bella, look at ya'self!"

Bella merely shrugged, taking a spot on the sofa near Wanda. "De accomplishment is much worth de trials."

"Bella, ya an Assassin! How're ya supposed ta work lihke that?" Rogue threw out desperately, both appalled and awed that the woman seemed to make nothing of her wounds that could easily have killed another.

"Dat's what Remy said!" Remy chimed in.

"What, dis?" Bella indicated her leg and shrugged again. "Jus' a scratch."

Rogue shook her head in wonder with a look much similar to Remy's as Wanda called out. "Rogue! Rogue, come here!" Rogue obliged and sat down next to Wanda on the sofa. Wanda's grin knew no bounds as she leaned over and instructed. "Watch this." A red spark rose from her fingers and hovered in the air. Wanda snapped her fingers and the spark imploded from the inside, making other smaller sparks fly out and gently float down. "Fireworks!" She chuckled softly. "I'll show you how to do it."

Rogue's jaw dropped. "Am Ah missin' somethin'?"

"She's drunk." Bella volunteered. "I spiked her drink after de fight." Bella's smile grew. "She don' have much resistance t' alcohol. Y' might dink different, since she's such a depressin' _fille, oui?_" Bella shook her head and stuck out her tongue slightly. "But no." She giggled.

Rogue looked at Remy. "Is she drunk too?"

Remy shrugged. "Dunno."

Pietro rushed in the room at super-human speed and shot a glare at Bella who was sitting next to Wanda. "I can't believe you spiked her drink!"

Bella waved him off airily. "Have y' ever seen her more happy? Look at her! Bella will take credit fo' dat."

John sat up from his position on the sofa. "Hey does anyone have a camera? I don't think we'll ever have a moment like this again."

"Yeah." Rogue agreed, half surprised that John was being so sincere. "We ought ta remember this."

Remy chuckled. "Dis be one weird happy moment, huh? Look at it: Wanda, who never so much as talks, is sittin' here smilin', my Bella," Remy slung an arm around Bella's shoulders, "best little assassin dere is, Pietro, cunnin' little speedster over dere, Johnny boy who hasn't never been more sincere in his life, who brought us all together in dis mess" Remy winked at John, "An' Roguey, de middle victim o' dis whole kidnappin' business." Remy grinned broadly. "Dis ain't never gunna happen again."

"And you." Rogue added.

Remy chuckled. "_Oui, _an' me! Plenty o' happenin's caused by me too!" Remy whipped out his cell phone. "Dis be de picture-perfect moment dat nobody gets."

"You can print pictures off that thing?" Pietro asked, slightly doubtful.

"_Homme, _Remy can do anythin' with dis phone. Y' just crowd in now, come on, everybody."

And so they did. The misshapen group of mutants that were thrown together by pure chance and became hesitant friends all gathered in the middle of the sofa as Remy balanced the phone on top of the TV and timed it so that he'd have enough time to scurry down in front of the sofa and stretch out in a super-model position. From there, they changed spots, rearranged positions and re-took more pictures.

Half an hour later, Remy left the room and returned with various bottles and drinks. "Dis be a night we never sleep, _heh?_" He offered a bottle to Rogue. "Have a drink, _cherie._"

"Ah don't drink…"

Remy grinned. "Remember de last time y' took a few too many drinks? Y' ended up with all o' us! Remy'll take care o' ya, jus' like he did before. Y' with me, _oui?"_

A slow, hesitant smile played across Rogue's face. "Well, when ya put it lihke that…Ah'm with ya!" Rogue took the bottle from Remy's hands and drained a good portion of it in one swig. Remy clapped her on the back cheerfully. "Dat's my girl!"

Bella staggered over and hugged Remy around the middle. He put an arm over her shoulder and the other over Rogue's, drawing the both close. "Dese my _filles!_" Remy chuckled, bringing up a bottle around Rogue and taking a swig. "Let's get dis party started!"

It would be a night they would remember for the rest of their lives.

----

**Rogue groaned audibly as she made the break into consciousness. **Her brain throbbed against her skull, repetitively pounding away without stop. It felt as if someone was slapping down a sledgehammer against her skull.

For the next twenty minutes, Rogue tried to drown out the pain by stuffing her head in her pillow and trying to fall back asleep. After she decided that wasn't going to happen, she lazily crawled out of bed and slowly descended the ladder. Kitty wasn't in the room, thank God for small favors, but Wanda was still fast asleep in bed. Rogue almost considered waking her up just so that she could suffer with Rogue, but then thought better of it and made her way downstairs, still in her pajamas.

When she reached the kitchen, someone was already there. Rogue made her way over to the sink when Logan spoke from behind the cupboards. "You shoulda taken a glass of water, two aspirin, and a vitamin pill before you went to sleep. Would have saved you a hell of a headache." Logan's voice seemed to be much too loud for so early in the morning. Rogue blinked several times and shook her head-but quickly stopped as the pounding built up.

"Anythin' Ah cahn do now?" Rogue asked, her accent thick in her mouth.

Logan shut the cupboard. "Nothin' you can do the day after." He walked over to her and grabbed her shoulders, looking directly into her eyes. "You shouldn't drink."

"Says the man who visits bars almost nightly." Rogue replied wryly, unable to bring herself out of his grip.

"I'm no role model, but it's different for you. You're a girl."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rogue challenged, sounding almost offended.

"It means that you shouldn't."

"It was just a few drinks." Rogue replied stiffly.

Logan seemed to consider her for a second, then, without warning, he rapped a fist against her head once. "Ahh!" Rogue cried out and her hands flew to her head, her knees giving out from under her. Logan caught her before she fell and hoisted her up in his arms.

"Just a few drinks?" He challenged quietly, slightly grinning.

Rogue whimpered, burying her head against his chest. "Ya didn't have ta do that."

"Yeah, but it was fun." Logan began making his way across the kitchen to the table. "Don't you remember the last time you had 'just a few drinks'?"

"That turned out okay." Rogue rubbed her head. "Ah made four friends-" Rogue frowned. "Five? Five friends."

Logan smiled warmly. "I never heard of stupidity of drinking traveling through to the next day afterwards."

"Shut up, Logan."

"Hey kid, you're just lucky you didn't run into Storm on your way in here." He gently set her down in a chair. "Stay there. I'll fix up somethin' for your hangover."

"'Nothin' you can do the day after'." Rogue mocked.

"You want it or not?"

"Shut up." Rogue laid her head down against the table. A couple minutes later, Logan sat down across from her at the small table and pushed a disgusting looking, chunky, greenish-gray goop at her.

"Drink that."

Rogue eyed the concoction suspiciously. "What is it?"

"It'll help." Logan replied, avoiding the question. Rogue pulled the drink a little closer and squinted.

"It looks disgusting." Rogue complained.

"It tastes disgusting too."

"How would ya even know how ta take care of a hangover. Ya don't even get them." Rogue raised the cup to her mouth and took a drink. As soon as the liquid touched her tongue, Rogue gagged and nearly spat it back up. Logan gave a little smile at her near-choking antics.

"It's good to have you back, Rogue." Rogue made a sour face and forced herself to swallow. The pounding in her head lightened slightly.

Someone let out a light groan behind them and Rogue turned to see Wanda blearily making her way to the cupboard. "G'morning." Rogue greeted sullenly, returning her eyes to the glass of chunky, dour tasting liquid.

"Says who?" Wanda responded grumpily, fishing something out of the cupboard.

The door opened again and Remy jounced into the room, looking way too chipper and bright for someone who'd been so wasted yesterday. "Hi Roguey! Morning, Wandy!"

"Call me that again and you'll be pissing purple for the next week."

"Someone's in a bad mood. After bein' so happy, we thought some joy might rub off on y' Wanda."

"Wish for miracles, why don't you." John entered the kitchen, holding a hand against his head.

Rogue squinted at Remy. "How the hell are ya so…bright?"

Remy gave her the traditional grin. "Two aspirin, water, and a vitamin pill is all y' need before sleepin' it off."

"Ughh." Rogue muttered darkly, glaring at her mixed drink Logan had concocted.

"Renelzka?" John asked, looking at the murky liquid in Rogue's glass.

Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Ya cahn have it." She pushed it across the table to where John sat down. John grabbed the glass and downed the liquid in one gulp. Rogue nearly gagged for him. "That's disgusting." She added, giving John a sideways glance.

"Wandy!" Bella hobbled into the kitchen and sprang at Wanda, landing on her back.

Wanda's legs gave out from under her and she collapsed to her knees. "Jesus Christ! Get off!" Bella hit Wanda on the head and Wanda made a wild, animal-like noise before throwing Bella off and grabbing her head. "Bitch!"

"That's fo' beatin' me up." Wanda's returning glare was murderous, promising punishment later. "We move on t' step two later." Bella added, completely ignoring the death-glare she was receiving.

"Stupid Cajuns! I'm goin-"

Pietro zipped into the kitchen, looking just as normal as usual. "We should do something."

Rogue groaned. "Ah have classes."

"Actually," Logan interrupted, "you don't. All classes for the past week have been cancelled."

"Really?" Rogue asked. "Why?"

"'Cause you cause quite a fuss when you're kidnapped."

"Aww," Remy grinned. "Kidnapped is such a nasty word. We jus' barrowed de _fille."_

"Guys, let's _do _something." Pietro insisted, impatiently pacing.

"Y' always want to do somethin'." Remy complained. "Jus' take a seat, _homme._ De _filles _have hangovers."

"It's not mah fault Ah don't drink constantly and figure out ways ta escape the mornin' hangover." Rogue groaned irritably, good natured.

"Actually," Remy smiled. "Dat would be y' fault."

"Guys!" Pietro groaned.

"Nervous much?"

"Why don't ya go ta the Danger Room?" Rogue asked, watching Pietro pace the kitchen.

"The what?"

"De Danger Room." Remy filled in. "It's de practice area. It's very fun."

"It's our training center." Rogue explained. "We put in simulations of situations and other stuff to help us become X-Men."

"Is it big?" Bella asked, and Rogue could tell she was up to something just by the way she phrased the question.

"Yeah. It's huge. Why?"

Bella smiled innocently. "No reason. Let's go dere, den." Bella grabbed Wanda's hand. "Come on, _chere._ Y' comin' too."

Wanda yanked her hand out of Bella's. "Don't touch me."

"Y' much friendlier when y' drunk, _fille._" Bella smiled happily. "Dis be lesson two fo' y'. Y' need t' lighten up an' get some social skills."

Wanda's jaw tightened, but she remained silent, for now. Rogue was almost proud of her for not lashing back. But she knew that Wanda's temper would not hold for long. "Okay, we'll go ta the Danger Room. Wanda…maybe ya could show meh some stuff with ya powers?" It was diversionary tactics. Wanda's expression seemed to darken, but then she glanced back and her eyes fell on Bella again.

"Whatever."

Wanda exited ahead of Rogue. Rogue gave a small smile and the group of mutants, minus Logan, proceeded to follow her. When they reached the door, Wanda pushed in ahead of her and Rogue fell back to take second step.

Someone was already in the Danger Room. Rogue paled as her eyes fell upon Kitty and she quickly turned away, following Wanda to the other side of the room. The Danger Room was quite spacious, bigger than the front entrance hallway to the mansion. It would be easy to avoid Kitty entirely, but if they got too caught up in their training, they might run across each other by accident. The Danger Room forced them to do a lot of movement, so it was likely that they'd find each other during the exercises. Rogue re-focused her attention on Wanda as Wanda gave her a questioning, skeptical stare. "Wait, what?"

Wanda's eyes flitted over Kitty before landing on Rogue again. Her expression was almost dull, but she wasn't glaring. Wanda repeated herself. "What do you want to start on?"

Rogue shifted. Remy and Pietro had already started to fight off to the side as obstacles popped up, trying to demise them both. John was talking to Bella, watching both Remy and Pietro before his eyes casually flicked over to her, and then back. "Um…maybe preliminary control so that ya powers don't accidentally…" Rogue searched for the word, but it was evasive. "happen, when Ah do stuff. And…" Rogue added hesitantly. "Ah don't exactly know what ya powers are, either…"

Wanda almost looked somewhat amused. She sat down and motioned for Rogue to do the same. "They're difficult to understand." Wanda started, turning her eyes to lock on Rogue. Her expression was unreadable. "Since my powers were not naturally manifested, I received certain special abilities, powers that I would not have or wouldn't quite be possible if I were just a normal mutant." Wanda paused, and Rogue waited patiently. "I can manipulate probability."

Rogue didn't quite understand, it showed on her face as she asked. "What does that mean?"

Wanda paused again, maybe mulling over the best way to describe it. "When we first met, and I nearly killed you with the fan blade…you remember?" It was almost comical how calmly the question was laid out. Rogue nodded, she wouldn't be forgetting her recent journey any time soon.

A small smile graced Rogue's lips at the memory. "Yeah, Ah remember."

Rogue couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw the edges of Wanda's mouth quirk up in a small, hidden smile. Maybe some of last night really had rubbed off on Wanda. "Yes, well, with the fan blade. I manipulated the probability of chance that the solid would fluxuate to my desire, thereby encompassing you."

"And ya can do that with any material?" Wanda nodded. "Ya can do practically anythin'!" Rogue exclaimed.

"That's not it." Wanda added. "I can generate a sort of shield as well. As far as I know, it's pure energy-which is the confusing part, but I won't go into specifics just yet. Other than that, I can create a source of chaotic energy in forms that explode and I can temporarily remove a mutant's ability."

Rogue's gaze darted over to Wanda at mention of her last ability and Wanda must have seen the hope in her eyes. "It's a very painful process which sometimes leaves lasting damage. I won't do it to you."

Rogue's features sunk. "Oh."

"Uh hmm." Wanda seemed to study her for a minute, but didn't say anything on the subject. "Now—as for control. It took me several years to learn, granted I had no teacher, but don't expect it to just come to you. I understand that you have my 'psyche' or whatever you call it, and that'll also help you understand it faster, but it's still not something you'll gather in a day's time."

"Okay." Rogue agreed. She didn't think she'd get it too quickly either. Wanda began the lesson and Rogue listened intently, following her hand movements and keeping the words stored. The more Wanda spoke, the more confused Rogue seemed to get. She sighed deeply; it was going to be a long month.

----

**"What? No! I'm not doing that!" **John exclaimed, keeping his voice to a hushed tone, despite the distance between him and the two groups.

"Why not?" Bella asked, giving him a sour look.

John stared at her incredulously before his gaze momentarily flicked to Pietro and Remy, where they were still fighting. "She's Pietro's sister!"

"And dat means…?" Bella didn't give him time to answer. "Come on, y' want t' see de _fille _happy too, _oui?"_

"Bella," John started. "You're chasing a miracle. Wanda's never going to be happy. You don't know what she's been through."

"An' y' do?" Bella shot back.

John shrugged. "The general idea of it, yeah. Nothing too deep, though."

"Dat _fille _is too damn depressed. Don' y' want t' help her?"

"I don't see how it would help in any way." John replied flatly.

Bella looked about ready to implode. "Don' see—don' see?! Y' must see! She could be happy if someone cared about her like dat! De _fille_ needs someone t' love her."

"She knows we care about her." John replied stiffly, avoiding the point. "Me, Pietro, Remy…and even Rogue now, she knows we all like her."

Bella grunted. "Dat's not what I mean." Her jaw set. "Why are y' so against dis idea?"

John shrugged. "I don't know—it's just Wanda, I don't think about her like that."

"Well y' should!" Bella pushed. "Look at her!" John glanced over in her general direction to see her and Rogue speaking. "Do y' dink dat _fille _has ever been in a real relationship?"

"I doubt it." John admitted. "I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but why me? I'm not a caring, sentimental guy. You should get someone else to do it."

Bella looked irritated with him. "Dere is no one else! Pietro's her brother and Remy—" Bella gave a light smile. "I got other plans fo' Remy. Besides, she doesn't need a caring, sentimental guy. She needs someone like y'—hard an' badass, like herself."

John rolled his eyes. "This is stupid."

Bella hopped triumphantly and hugged him. "Dank y', Johnny!" She released him, falling back a little heavily onto her injured leg. "Besides, it's not like Bella's settin' y' up with de ugliest _fille _out dere. Wandy's hot stuff."

----

**Bobby Drake **strode into the Danger Room unsuited and dressed in his new style of clothing. A black, tight fitting t-shirt fitted over a muscular torso with ridiculously ripped, baggy jeans. Blond hair was slicked back, much like John's, but in a greasier, unclean way, his icy blue eyes traveled across the room, hesitating on Rogue before landing on Kitty. A raw, dark smile crept onto his features as he made his way towards Kitty.

Kitty was so warped in her meditation exercise, trying to avoid thinking of Rogue or Bobby at all, that she didn't see Bobby approach until it was too late. By that time, Bobby had crossed the room and stood above her, towering over her kneeling frame, dominating. "Little kitten." There was no gentleness in his tone or warmth. His voice was as cold as his generated ice. Kitty froze at the sound of it, the color in her face draining a little more.

"Bobby." Kitty swallowed thickly and out of the corner of her eyes, she viewed Rogue, looking a bit unsettled, before her gaze returned to the floor. "I was just finishing up, we can go—" Kitty started, pulling herself to her feet and trying to avoid causing any scene in front of Rogue. Her roommate must hate her by now.

Bobby grabbed her arm, stopping further progression to the door. "No, let her see." His eyes held a coldness in them that Kitty had only seen once before, the night they had slept together. He pulled her closer, into his arms and Kitty shivered.

"Bobby, don't." Kitty's eyes fell upon Rogue again. The girl was staring at them now, in obvious morbid fascinating, her eyes glistening. Kitty tried to pull away from Bobby, but his grip was too strong.

Bobby's coldness turned to her. "Remember our agreement, Kitty." His grip on her tightened painfully. Kitty eyes grew bleary. "I'll tell everyone your little secret." Bobby threatened. Kitty shrank back, but Bobby only pulled her closer. "Now, kiss me."

"Bobby…" Kitty whimpered. "Don't…not right in front of her. Please…"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Bobby's grip tightened even more, to the point that Kitty could feel her arms bruising, as he pulled her closer and locked lips with her. Every touch, every move, every look was a violation. Kitty wanted to scream and pull away, but she wouldn't. He'd tell, he'd tell them all, she had no doubt. She was afraid, afraid of being exposed. Blackmail was an ugly word, but it wasn't dirty enough to describe what Bobby was doing to her. Stabbing in the back, maybe, but it was so much worse than even that. She wouldn't be hurting others like that…but this…

Silent tears dripped down Kitty's cheeks as Bobby's tongue parted her lips and forced his way into her mouth. Eyes closed, Kitty felt like she was drowning. Crying quietly, she waited for it to end.


	14. Intervention Payoff

**Rogue swallowed thickly, her jaw slightly slackened at the sight, her expression pale. **Kitty and Bobby were passionately making out with little to no regard of her presence at all. She tried to tear her gaze away, to focus on Wanda's words, anything to distract her, but her eyes refused to move from the scene. Her jaw worked emptily, words evading her command. She didn't even know what she would have said, if she could speak.

Not a day after Kitty had apologized for sleeping with her ex-boyfriend; she chose to display her and Bobby's passion in a way that Rogue had never been able to do. She was glad for it now, because Bobby apparently was just like every other guy. Rogue had thought he cared for her, that he had truly liked just her, despite her inability to touch. To witness differently scarred her, sending a spike of pain through her heart.

Wanda noticed that Rogue's attention had fixated elsewhere and she followed the younger mutant's gaze to a couple who was passionately holding each other, kissing. Wanda recognized Rogue's other roommate and she supposed the guy was 'Bobby'—who the girl had been apologizing for the other day. Wanda frowned. That didn't make much sense. If the girl had apologized yesterday for 'Bobby' then what the hell was she doing? Wanda's eyebrows creased as she moved her gaze back to Rogue, who was staring at the couple, awestruck.

Wanda sighed deeply. "Rogue." Rogue didn't acknowledge her in any way. Wanda lightly grabbed the girl's covered palm and stood up, tugging on her hand. Rogue still didn't respond, her gaze remained glued on Kitty and Bobby until Wanda gave her hand a tight jerk and pulled her to her feet.

Rogue seemed to jounce back to reality as she blinked rapidly and looked at Wanda, who was pulling her away by the hand. It would have been a comical sight for anyone else, to see Wanda dragging Rogue away by the hand, in an almost sisterly fashion, but it didn't all quite register to Rogue. They were at the door before she could so much as protest and Rogue caught one last glance over her shoulder before the elevator doors closed. "Where are we goin'?"

"For a walk." Wanda replied shortly, letting go of her hand and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Rogue bit her bottom lip nervously. It was obvious that Wanda was pulling her away from Bobby and Kitty, but Rogue didn't quite think Wanda was going to talk about her feelings with her. Wanda wasn't the type of person that you sat down and discussed social problems with. Rogue was half surprised she had even bothered to pull her away instead of just walking out.

"I'm not going to attack you, don't be so nervous." Her voice held no sarcasm, but Rogue took it that it was meant to be a joke. This also surprised her. Wanda was being awfully casual with her. Even after such a selfless act down in the medical bay and her reluctant agreement to train Rogue a bit, Rogue hadn't expected such…hospitality? That wasn't the word for it, but Rogue couldn't mark the right word. Wanda was acting very out of character. Rogue's confusion must have shown on her face. "Don't look so shocked. I may be a cold bitch, but I'm not heartless."

"Ah didn't mean—" Rogue started, afraid Wanda had gotten the wrong impression, but Wanda waved her off.

"I know, just cool it. You're too uptight." Hearing that she was 'too uptight' from Wanda was ironic to say in the least.

Rogue tried to relax a bit. Tension still showed its strain through her features. She wasn't very good at hiding her emotions. "Where are we walking?" Rogue asked, still trying to calm down and forget what she had just witnessed.

Wanda shrugged. "You know the grounds better, you tell me."

"The forest?" Rogue suggested wildly. She used to walk around the forest when she had been overcome with her mutation earlier in the year. She was usually more relaxed around nature.

"Sure." The elevator _dinged_ cheerily and the heavy metal doors opened to reveal a softly furnished hallway. Rogue led the way to the front door. Once they were safely out of the vicinity of others and on the breezy grounds outside, Wanda spoke again as they made their way to the forest. "You want to talk about it?"

Rogue nearly tripped in shock. "Okay, who are ya an' what have ya done ta Wanda?"

The edges of Wanda's mouth quirked again in a sort of bemused way. "You react as if you think it's impossible for me to care about anyone but myself."

"Th-That's not it!" Rogue protested, fumbling for the right words. "It's jus'…jus' different. Ya were never…"

"Nice?" Wanda filled in. "Don't get too used to it. I won't be in a good mood for long with Bella around. That woman can't take a hint."

Rogue gave a small smile, trying not to let Wanda see. "Ah guess she can't."

Wanda noticed her smile anyway. "Amusing to you maybe. You would not want to be the object of her attention, trust me."

"She's nice." Rogue didn't bother to hide her grin. "She jus' goes a little far with ya. She's jus' tryin' ta help."

"She's got a skewed definition of 'help'."

"Ya hit her back pretty bad…" Rogue admitted, thinking of Bella's stitched leg.

Wanda winced. "That wasn't intentional."

"What happened?" Rogue asked, intrigued, despite herself. Wanda flinched again and seemed hesitant to tell her. Rogue quickly added. "Ya don't have ta tell meh if ya don't want."

"I sent her through a window." Wanda explained with a regretful glance at Rogue. "She landed hard and the glass wedged into her leg. She tried to pull it out without any help and hurt herself more, but it was primarily my fault…" Wanda trailed off, noticing Rogue's incredulous stare. "I'm just glad she didn't start crying." She added hastily.

A secluded grin pulled at Rogue's mouth. "Do Ah actually hear regret in ya voice?" Her grin was quickly spreading out. "Maybe some of last night did rub off on ya."

Wanda actually looked embarrassed. There was the faintest tint to her cheeks that would be unrecognized to any other, but Rogue could immediately detect it. It wasn't just unlikely that Wanda was embarrassed, it was damn near impossible. Rogue had never seen it on the other woman. It gave her features a lighter, younger image than her usual angry expression. "Don't remind me of last night, I probably did plenty of things that you'll never see me do again. If anything, that was Bella's payback for her leg—which is the only reason she's still breathing." At Rogue's obvious grin, Wanda continued a bit faster. "Besides, you're probably the one rubbing off on me." Wanda gave her an accusing glare to hide her slight flush. "Okay, no more analyzing me. Your turn."

"Fohr what?" Rogue asked, feeling oddly accomplished. Maybe this was the sense of satisfaction that Bella had obtained from making Wanda smile.

"For back in the Danger Room. Wasn't that the same girl that apologized to you the other day?"

Rogue's smile faded a little bit, but bringing up mention of Kitty didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. "Very perceptive of ya."

Wanda shrugged it off to show she wasn't that involved. "I'm not blind."

Rogue pursed her lips. "Yeah, that was her."

"She sounds like a bitch." Rogue gave a tentative smile at that. It was funny, how Wanda could make her smile while they were discussing dire things like Bella's near death injury or Kitty's utter disregard of her feelings. When Wanda wasn't being moody, she was actually a pretty fun person to be around.

"Ah suppose…" Rogue hesitated. "Ah jus'…Ah don't get it."

"Get what? Why she would apologize then be slutty in front of you?"

"It's not jus' that." Rogue admitted. She wasn't sure how much she should tell Wanda. "If Ah tell ya somethin', don't tell anyone else, okay?"

Wanda gave her a skeptical, raised eyebrow. "What are you, two? Just who the hell am I going to tell, Rogue?"

Rogue's smile broadened a little more. "Good point, Ah didn't think of that."

Wanda shook her head dismissively, wearing that small, amused smile she had mastered. "Well, what happened?"

"After ya left the other day, Kitty confessed somethin' ta meh."

"Yeah?" Wanda asked. "What's that?"

"She confessed that she had slept with Bobby."

The skeptical eyebrow was back. "Bobby?"

"Mah ex-" Rogue explained. "But that's not it. Meh and Bobby broke up only a week before, which was the night Ah went out an' got drunk when Remy picked meh up."

"Kind of fast to be hooking up with another girl."

"Yeah." Rogue agreed. "Ah mean, Ah always noticed the little stuff between them, lihke the warnin' signs, ya know? But Ah never thought…"

"People will surprise you with how cruel they can be. If he slept with her a week after when you were captured, it was probably going on for a while." Rogue sighed deeply, Wanda continued. "This whole Kitty thing sounds like she's just trying to be a bitch to you though. She ever dislike you before?"

"Well, no…we're roommates, ya know, so we got along." Rogue pondered. "That was another thing, she seemed…really honest when she told me about her and Bobby. Regretful, sorry, the whole package. Ah jus' don't get why she'd do it."

"Don't dwell on it. It's best to just move on with these things." Wanda cast Rogue another sideways glance. Rogue's expression seemed to be crumbling. "Please don't cry, I won't know what to do if you start crying."A bark-like laugh erupted from Rogue's throat. Wanda's blunt honesty could be completely inappropriate at times, yet hilarious. Wanda mistook her unidentifiable laugh. "Oh jeez, you're not going to be sick, are you? Rogue…" It was almost as if she were pleading her not to be.

Rogue let out another chuckle, this one noticeable. "No, Wanda." Rogue choked back more laughter. "Ah'm not goin' ta be sick or cry, don't worry."

Wanda seemed relieved. "Okay, good."

Rogue smiled genuinely again. "Wow, Wanda."

"What?"

"Nothin'. Jus' wow."

Wanda gave her a look. "If you think I'm going to sit here wondering what's 'wow' then you're farther off than I thought. I'm not at the point of caring what other people's opinions are."

Rogue didn't lose her amused look. "And that is why Ah am awed." The girls continued down the roughly hewn woods path, socialably interacting, unknowingly being watched.

Even if it was unspoken and Wanda wouldn't admit it if you asked her, the two girls bonded on that walk further than either the kidnapping journey or Wanda's slow reluctance to test Rogue for her illness. It was an unspoken understanding that both came to upon that walk, they could trust each other. Rogue could talk to and trust the woman who, not a week ago, slammed her against a bathroom wall and threatened to take her life. And Wanda, who hadn't opened up to anyone for years and lacked the basic principals of being communicably social, had found someone she could truthfully rely on. It was a silent, mutual compact that was bound during that walk that turned simple acquaintances, simple friends, into two trusting friends, tied together in a bond that many others never achieve. It was truly a day for miracles.

----

**Bella slowly limped down the hallway, making her way downstairs to the kitchen. **The stairs would prove to be problematic, but she would get to that problem in a few minutes. At the time, her mind was spinning with possibilities in the matchmaking games she was planning to play with her contestants. It would be a fun experience, and she had to finish it off before she planned to leave the X-Mansion, so she would have to jump things into motion quickly.

To her side, a door opened from behind and hit her harshly, throwing her forward to the floor, spiking pain up her injured leg. A black haired boy appeared in the doorway and stepped out to see what he had hit. A smirk graced his features as an eyebrow lifted mockingly. "Nice view." Zalen was a new student, added to the X-Mansion about a week or so ago; he had been a troublesome student from the start. Zalen leaned back against the wall, smiling cruelly at the fallen woman as she struggled to stand up.

Bella frowned. "Don' help me up o' nothin'."

"I wasn't planning on it." Zalen's expression was purely sadistic. "But now that you mention…" Zalen grabbed Bella not-too-softly under the arms and hoisted her up. Bella fell back a step at the sudden movement and her back fell against the wall. Zalen moved uncomfortably close, inches away from her face. One arm blocked her right side while his body primarily blocked the left. The evil smirk was fixed in place as Bella raised her eyes to his face. "You're Rogue's friend…" Zalen half whispered, almost talking to himself.

Bella's eyes narrowed. "Y' like t' move now, _homme?_"

Zalen thinly smiled. "I don't think I want to." He stepped even closer to Bella so that her hips barely grazed his stomach and his face loomed only centimeters above her own. His hands made their way to the edge of her shirt and lifted it slightly.

Bella yelped and her hands glowed softly before a hand was placed firmly on Zalen's shoulder. "What do y' dink y' doin', _homme?_"

Zalen stepped back and turned to see a man he'd never seen before. He was muscular and stout, with black hair that fell slightly over his dark eyes. He was only slightly taller than Zalen, but obviously stronger, clearly seen through his heavily muscled arms and tight grip. Zalen's eyes scanned over the man skeptically before he stepped back again. "Just helping the girl up." Zalen's eyes flicked back to Bella, almost daring her to disagree. Bella glared at him before Zalen, smirking still, turned and left down the same hallway.

Bella's eyes watched him until he came to the end of the hallway and turned the corner out of sight. She breathed a sigh. "Dank y', Henri."

Henri gave her a friendly smile. "Nothing you couldn't have handled, I'm sure." Henri held out his arms and Bella gratefully fell into them. Henri enveloped her in a safe, warm hug. "I missed y', Bella."

"Mhmm, me too." Bella breathed in his scent, relaxed in his presence. After a moment, Henri released her and offered her his hand, which Bella took as they began making their way down the hall, opposite the way Zalen had disappeared.

Henri analyzed her softly, giving a smile. "You've been busy?" He asked, eyes on her limping, stitched leg.

Bella gave him an amused smile. "Dat not from work."

"No?" Henri asked curiously.

"Nah, dat de price o' helpin' resistant _filles_."

Henri's grin grew to a full out smile. "Y' messin' with dings y' shouldn't again, huh? Playin' y' games again?"

"A little push fo' de reluctant never hurt nobody." Henri gave a short chuckle. Bella squeezed his hand. "Dey jus' let y' out?"

Henri nodded. "Yeah, I woke up an hour ago an' dey let me out after checkin' me."

Before the conversation could carry on further, Remy showed up at the end of the hallway and his eyes lit up at the sight of the man he considered to be a brother. "HENRI!" Remy shouted excited, picking up his pace to a near run at the man. Henri had barely let go of Bella's hand when Remy jumped at him in a jubilant, happy manner. Henri was a sturdy man, he worked out often and was very muscular, but that didn't stop him from nearly falling back at Remy's lunge. Remy wrapped his arms around the bigger man's middle as Henri's arms went around the slight mutant.

"It's good t' see y' again, Remy."

"Remy's missed y'!" Remy took a step back to analyze his brother in fully. "Y' good _homme? _How y' feeling?"

Henri's returning smile was genuine. "I'm good, Remy. Dey take good care o' me here."

"Glad t' hear it." They resumed walking, their eventual destination being the kitchen. "What's de South been up t'?" As the two brothers caught up over recent events, the party of three made their way to the kitchen. Henri carried Bella down the stairs, despite her protests, and by the time they had made it across the school, Henri had filled in Remy with the recent events of the South that Jean-Luc had left out upon his short visit. Remy beamed happily. "So de Guilds are pairin' up again? Y' two be careful. Remy remembers de last time dey tried t' do dat."

"Yeah," Henri agreed soberly, sounding a little hesitant. "dat be de primary concern. De Guilds won't repeat de same ding, don' worry Remy."

At that point, Wanda and Rogue entered the kitchen from the opposite end and joining them. Bella gave a secretive smile at the sight of them both talking, not yelling. Henri still looked a little uneasy. "Remy, can I talk t' y'?"

"O' course, Henri." Remy strayed off into another room with Henri in tow and turned to face his brother. "What is it, Henri?"

"Well…" Henri started slowly, nervously shifting. "Dere's somethin' I gotta tell y', Remy. Somethin' y' may not like."

Remy looked on expectantly as Henri shifted his footing again. "It's about de Guilds bein' unified….Dey're stagin' another weddin' for the union."

Remy's expectant face broke down into an understanding smile. "Yeah, _homme._ Remy's heard, y' don't have t' look so nervous."

"Y' know already?" Henri asked, surprised.

"Yeah, Bella already tol' dis here Cajun."

"Are y'…" Henri still hesitated. "Are y' okay with it?"

Remy gave his brother a warm smile. "Yeah, _homme._ Remy already understands dat me an' Bella can't be, an' Remy's sure she knows it too. But if dere was anyone t' take my place, Remy can't dink o' a better _homme _dan y'."

"She'd rather have y'." Henri confessed.

Remy grinned winningly. "Who wouldn't?" He joked; Henri playfully punched him in the arm, which only slightly hurt. Honestly, the man was nicely toned! "_Non," _Remy continued, becoming serious again. "Remy jus' glad dat y' love her an' will treat her right, Henri. It's okay, Bella tol' me all 'bout it already. An' even if she still loves Remy, she also loves y' Henri an' as long as Bella's happy, dat's all Remy wants fo' her."

Henri was nearly overcome. Once again, he threw his arms over his brother's shoulders and embraced him tightly. "Danks, Remy."

"O' course, Henry." Remy hugged him back and the two brothers turned around to join their friends.

----

"**Rogue, we need t' talk."**

"What is it, Bella?" The girls meandered through the kitchen. Rogue and Wanda were headed to their room; Bella followed them at a slower pace so that they lessoned their pace for her to keep up. Rogue caught Wanda giving Bella's leg a sideways glance.

"Dis be important stuff, _fille. _Listen up." Convinced she was getting the needed attention, Bella began. "Y' like Remy, don' y'?"

Wanda groaned. "Oh, for heaven's sakes."

Bella gave her a sharp look, as if seeing her there for the first time. "What are y' doin' here?" Her eyes gleamed as she viewed something over Wanda's shoulder. "Go be social." With that, Bella, who was in the middle of them, pushed Wanda to the side through a doorway into the foyer room. Rogue was half surprised, but her eyes quickly found John in the room who, just as surprised, caught Wanda before she fell. Her attention was drawn away when Bella turned to her again. "So, _chere, _y' like Remy, don' y'?"

Rogue blanched. "What?"

"It's true! Bella knew it."

Rogue blinked. "What? No, no of course not!" She protested. "Remy's jus' mah friend."

"But y' like him." Bella pressed.

Rogue shook her head vigorously. "No, Ah don't. Really."

Bella gave a short smile. "Y' don' have t' hide it, _fille_."

"But Ah—"

Bella interrupted. "O' course, don' worry 'bout it, Roguey. 'M sure Remy dinks o' y' de same way."

"Bella, Ah don't—" Bella continued as if she wasn't there.

"M' sure he wouldn't object either when I tell him t' take y' on a date."

"Whoa, Bella!" Rogue exclaimed. "Slow down! Ah don't lihke Remy lihke that!"

"O' course y' do, don' be silly _chere."_

There was no convincing her differently. Rogue tried to apply logic. "Bella, aren't ya _with_ Remy?"

Bella frowned at her. "No, _chere, _I'm engaged t' Henri."

Rogue faltered. "What?"

"Henri? Y' know, Remy's brother." She explained it with a shrug, Rogue stared at her with incredulous eyes. "But anyway, _chere…_" Bella seemed to reach her conclusion. "Was _dat _de reason y' were always hesitant? Why, _chere!_ Y' don' have t' worry! Remy's free fo' de takin'."

"Bella, ya engaged!" Rogue exclaimed, still not over the fact.

Bella lifted an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, dat's true…"

"But don't ya love Remy?"

"O' course I do." Bella gave her a look. "An' Remy loves me too, but we both know dat we can't be together. De Guilds are now matchin' Henri an' me. I'll never completely get over Remy, I know dat, but I love Henri too, _chere._" She explained it as if it were the simplest, easiest thing to comprehend. Rogue was awed at the way she took it and put it, just so accepting. Bella never ceased to amaze her.

"So anyway, Roguey." Bella continued, as if she had not just revealed such a huge topic. "Y' jus' wait, 'kay? Bella will make it work fo' y'."

"But—"

"No more words, y' jus' sit it out an' relax Roguey. Bella's got dis."

She would hear no protests against it. Rogue worked her jaw shut and blinked. What just happened?

----

**Wanda hadn't expected such a sudden and unexpected movement from the limping woman. **She fell back through the open doorway and would have hit the ground, if it had not been for the fast reflexes of a certain fire-playing Pyro. John nearly dropped Wanda in surprise before quirking an eyebrow upwards and helping Wanda back to her feet. "You okay?" He asked, catching a glimpse of Bella through the doorway before she completely disappeared from view.

"I'm fine." Wanda responded quickly, righting herself.

John blinked. "Hey, we're planning to go back to the apartment to pick some things up. It looks like we'll be staying here for a little bit. You coming?"

"I suppose. Did Remy tell you we were staying here for awhile?" Wanda asked.

"No, Mystique did, but I'm sure Remy's just going to agree anyway. Why, does that bother you?"

"Not really." Wanda pursed her lips and frowned.

"What's wrong?" John asked, not really sure how to converse with Wanda. She wasn't a very sociable person. With any other girl he'd just go and make a move, but he didn't think Wanda would take that very well.

"Nothing." She was reserved.

"You can talk to me, if you want…" John offered, feeling very out of place.

Wanda lifted an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me?"

"Or not." He amended.

Wanda stared at him with a fixed expression.

"What?" John asked defensively.

"Nothing." She remained reserved.

It was awkward, John had enough. "Okay, screw this." With that, John turned to Wanda and kissed her. The kiss was short and cut off as Wanda stepped back, staring at him with wide, incredulous eyes.

John didn't quite know what to say. Wanda stared at him. John didn't have words to speak and wasn't quite sure what to do, so he did the only thing that occurred to him. He stepped back closer to Wanda and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close and pressing his lips to hers again. Wanda was stiff and didn't respond at first, but when John didn't pull away, he physically felt her back unstiffen as her lips responded to his. Her returning kisses were passionate and emotional, her hands somehow found their way around his shoulders and touching his hair, running her fingers through its soft, fuzzy texture.

When they drew away for air, Wanda locked eyes with him with a completely serious expression. "Bella is _not _finding out about this."

John smiled smugly and brought his lips back to hers once more. They melted into each others arms and fell through an eternity of their own. The room around them disappeared entirely.

----

**Kitty ran through the halls, sobbing, trying to find her way into her room where she could sit and be alone to cry out her problems without the chance of others seeing.** She was emotionally distraught and physically disgusted, like a low grade slut. She had sold herself at a price she couldn't pay, wouldn't pay. She was afraid and alone, no one could know the deepest pits of despair that she was feeling. It was like drowning, except so much worse. She was being abused and unwillingly hurting others on the way…and there was no way out.

Of course, she could tell someone and then Bobby wouldn't have anything on her, but that option was just as bad, perhaps worse, than the situation she was in now. Kitty didn't want to continue to be Bobby's slave, to hurt Rogue in Bobby's new pursuit of unknown anger, but she didn't want to tell anybody either. She couldn't even contemplate it.

Maybe she should just run away. At this point, it was looking like a wonderful possibility. She would be able to escape it all, her situation, her fault. Even if Bobby told after she left, would the X-Men really go after her? They didn't have Xavier anymore so they wouldn't be able to track her. Running just might be the best solution after all…

Kitty ran around the corner and collided straight into a tall, white haired boy. Kitty fell back hard and landed on her butt, wincing and turning her face away. The boy frowned. "Hello?"

Kitty kept her face turned away, not wanting anyone to see her tears. It was too late though, he had seen. "Are you alright?" The white haired kid held out a hand to help her up. Kitty wiped at her eyes with her sleeve, then still not looking at him, took his offered hand and he pulled her up. Kitty started to walk away, but the kid stopped her. "Hey, wait." He reached for her hand and grasped it for a second, but then her fingers slipped through his. Kitty turned to face him.

Once upon a lifetime ago, Kitty would have admired the kid for his helpfulness and gossiped with Jubilee or Rogue about his cuteness. But that part of her was gone. The kid had slicked back, pure white hair that stuck back at the ends and a lean, tall frame. He was physically handsome and his cool, blue eyes were softer than Bobby's. "Are you alright?" He repeated.

Kitty's bottom lip trembled. "I-I'm fine." She stuttered, falling over words.

The kid stepped closer to her. "Hey, what's wrong? You're trembling."

Fearful of his sudden closeness, Kitty shrank back. "No-Nothing. I've gotta go." Kitty turned and fled down the hallway, leaving a curious Pietro staring after her until she disappeared through one of the walls. Pietro quirked an eyebrow before turning away with a shake of his head.


	15. Revelations

"**It's time to move on with the plan." **Bobby explained his conclusion. "Marie's already getting over her last breakup and Kitty is ready to run. You did a good modification of her memory. She has no idea it wasn't her."

Zalen smiled smugly, his eyes cold. His voice had naturally left his normal accent as he had become accustomed to life in the North. "Thank you. It was fun while it lasted, at least. That Kitty girl is so smitten with guilt, she's afraid to tell anyone."

Bobby lightly smiled. "Yes, the body was a good idea."

"Speaking of which," Zalen brought up. "When do you plan on disposing your current body?"

"This?" Bobby gestured down at himself. "Yes, it's quite annoying to control him, but I still have my uses for his powers and position. Marie may be getting over the fact that she's no longer with 'Bobby' and that her roommate is a deceiving bitch, but that doesn't mean this form is useless."

Zalen's smile thinned. "I grow tired of these games. Can we not just kill her?"

"What revenge in there is that? Do you know how long David suffered because of her? We need to pay her back in full for the torment caused."

Zalen sighed. "I just think we're wasting our time, is all. As more time passes, others might start to notice things."

Bobby frowned. "You're afraid of getting caught."

"Well you can possess different forms and you're intangible when in your own form! What do you want me to say? Or Risty, for that matter? Someone's bound to notice something soon, especially if that Kitty girl runs off. I won't get caught for revenge when we could simply kill her and be done with it."

"Zalen, you need to stop worrying about such ridiculous matters. We're _not _going to get caught. Even if the Kitty girl runs away, no one knows anything was wrong between 'Bobby' and her. Besides, you're the _only _one at the school who can alter memories and such. Now that their famed 'Professor Xavier' is dead and Jean too, there's no one who could ever find out about us."

Zalen still seemed unsure. "I don't know, Taliz. I think we should get out of here soon. Speaking of which, where is Risty?"

Taliz, in Bobby's form, shrugged. "I don't know, she's been acting all stupid lately. Kind of like you, except worse. She actually told me off for using that Kitty girl the other day. Can you believe it?"

Zalen blinked. "Whoa, what? She told you off?"

"Yeah." Taliz shook his head incredulously. "Started spouting off to me about how immoral it was to use another like that. Said I went too far by sleeping with that Kitty girl."

Zalen's eyes narrowed. "Did she?"

Taliz nodded. "Yeah, but don't worry about it. She's on the same page as us, just thinks we should aim our revenge more solely towards Marie."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." Taliz gave Zalen a dark look. "I wouldn't have brought her along if I didn't think she completely agreed with us."

Zalen gave a short smile. "Maybe she's just jealous that you had sex with Kitty."

Taliz shook his head dismissively. "Nah, it's all good. I talked it over with her and she agreed in the end. We're fine."

"Where is she now?"

Taliz shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

Zalen looked at him questioningly. "So why did you call me here?"

"To discuss our next plan." Taliz explained.

"Which is?"

"It's time to give her a little scare." Bobby's mouth quirked in a cruel way that the blond teenager would have never used if he was in control of his body. As it was, he couldn't be accounted responsible for any of his further actions.

---

**Mystique had remained hidden in the basement for quite some time now, all the while spying on the ever-busy Hank McCoy, who was working overtime to make up for his mistakes.** It was a wonderful thing that Hank talked to himself when he was alone, otherwise Mystique might not have learned anything from studying the advanced chemist.

The good doctor had been running back and forth, to and fro, in a nervous haste that had been unexplained minutes ago, but which now made perfect sense. Mystique had immediately recognized Hank as the scientist who had ultimately come up with Erik's 'solution' for his children. Although she hadn't known the man too well at that point, Erik had later opened up and told her some missing puzzle pieces. Not all, but enough so that Mystique could click together the parts. The other information had all been overheard and it made the puzzle fit perfectly. Mystique entirely understood.

Erik had a daughter and a son. He used to have two daughters, but the younger one had died earlier on, which drove Erik into his mad quest for power for his children. Mystique already knew the story of the mishaps with Wanda's forced mutation, but until a few minutes ago, she did not know the details of how it worked or why Wanda hated her father so.

The formula Erik had made would eventually kill his daughter at a younger age, perhaps sixty years earlier than necessary. This had been Erik's true mistake that turned Wanda against him for good. Although he'd been trying to help her, he had efficiently cut off years of her life that she'd never get back. Mystique smiled lightly at the irony of it all.

This was good and all, but the questions Mystique had were still unanswered until Hank began babbling to himself. The good doctor had let go all the intricate details, how the human genes in Wanda's body rejected her mutant genes and fought against them. How, once the human genes suppressed the mutant genes, Wanda would die. Hank was currently working on a formula that would build up Wanda's mutant genes, making them stronger than and equally as fierce as the dominating human genes. If he succeeded, Wanda might gain back more years of her life. Mystique would make sure that didn't happen.

As Hank had endlessly babbled, a plan had started to form in Mystique's mind. What better revenge would there be, than to take his only remaining daughter from the face of earth? Mystique knew that Erik loved Wanda, but the feelings were not returned. Wanda loathed Erik and had sworn to kill him on sight if she ever saw him again. How cruel would it be for Wanda's life to end before he got the chance to apologize and reunite with his daughter? It was perfect, and Hank had just given her the means of how to do it.

If the mutant gene in Wanda was being suppressed by the human genes, why not shoot Wanda with a cure dart? The cure, although it didn't work, temporarily suppressed the mutant gene. In Wanda's case, that would overwhelm the mutant gene and supposedly, according to Hank and other factors, kill Wanda.

There were many other ways that Mystique could kill Wanda, but none were as good as this. For this way, it would truly be Erik's mistake that killed her off, for it was her fault that she was dying in the first place. How ironically beautiful would it be for his daughter, whom he loved dearly and tried to save, to die at his hands? It was perfect.

Hank temporarily left the room to fetch something from the adjoining medical bay and Mystique slipped out through the opposite door while he was busy elsewhere. Mystique smiled cruelly to herself. An eye for an eye, it would serve Erik right for abandoning her.

----

**Risty was battling an inner conflict battle that had no good sides and no apparent conclusion. **She had joined Taliz when he told her he was going away to avenge his brother. He hadn't wanted her to come at first, but after begging and swearing to his cause, he had let her join. Risty had an idea that 'avenge' meant kill, and although she was just the slightest bit uneasy about that, she would go with it because Taliz was her world and her joy. Besides, after Risty had confronted him about 'avenge' he had explained to her the whole situation, how Marie had sent David to the hospital with her poison touch and how David had never recovered from the incident. Risty felt slightly better about it, but she wasn't 'on board' as Taliz had put it.

When Risty, Taliz, and Zalen had reached the school, Risty had thought it'd just be a simple, quick matter to kill the girl in question then get out and live out her life with Taliz. She had quickly discovered how wrong she had been. By 'avenge', Taliz had meant to completely destroy Marie's life—death would be an early ending relief, by his term of the word.

Risty could take that her lover might kill someone. Taliz was a nice guy, but when he was angry, there was no stopping him. The fact that David eventually died only led Risty to believe that there would be some sort of revenge, but she hadn't ever dreamed it possible how insanely cruel Taliz could be. She knew better than to make him mad and stand up to him, but he was getting completely out of hand. Risty had actually been hurt when Taliz slept with the other girl, Kitty, to get revenge on Marie. She knew he'd be mad and upset, but now he was even dragging other people's lives into it! What he had done to Kitty—what he was still doing to her, it was abuse. Taliz was obsessed with his quest for revenge and when he wanted something, he was going to get it, like it or not.

Risty sighed deeply. She honestly didn't know what to do. She felt horrible that Taliz would go so far to abuse another girl to make Marie feel bad and was continuing this mad quest for revenge. He hadn't even listened to her when she confronted him about the Kitty issue. Risty hadn't known such a cruel side existed in Taliz. She half-wished she had listened to him and stayed home in the first place, rather than see his cruelty set into motion using innocent people as victims to his crimes.

He had called together a meeting today, but honestly, Risty didn't want to listen in on what he planned to do next. It was all just so morbid and Risty was deeply regretting having anything to do with him at all.

Which left her at her next problem. Risty felt horrible for the things Taliz was doing. Even if it was to avenge his brother, he was taking it much too far. Risty wanted to help the Kitty girl. And even though she was supposedly against 'Marie', she honestly felt bad for her too. Taliz was manipulating them all into his hands and abusing them shamelessly. Risty felt guilty and responsible, she wanted to make it better somehow. This problem left Risty standing in front of Kitty's room. She was debating about going inside or not, for going inside to comfort Kitty would certainly be considered betrayal to Taliz, but he didn't have to know…did he?

Decision made, Risty raised her fist and lightly knocked on the door. She had already heard the sniffling from inside and knew Kitty was probably crying which only made her feel worse about the situation.

There was a particularly louder sniffle before a muffled voice came through the door. "Come in." Risty opened the door and stepped inside. Quietly shutting and locking the door behind her, Risty turned at the exact time that Kitty did and the girl's eyes fell on each other. The petit, brown haired girl stared at Risty with watery blue eyes, analyzing her.

Risty had completely black hair that she scrunched every morning so that it looked as if it were slightly wet, like just out of the rain. Her eyes were so dark brown that they appeared black and she chose to dress darkly to match her eyes and hair. A black bracelet that Taliz had given her was wrapped around one wrist. A choker around her neck; chains that fell from the side of her black pants to latch on to catches lower down and her dark makeup only completed the 'goth' image. Kitty analyzed her slight frame and blinked. "Hello?"

"Hi," Risty replied kindly, maybe thinking she could have changed at least her outfit before entering the room. It hadn't occurred to her to do so. "You're Kitty, right?"

"Yeah…" Kitty's watery eyes held uncertainty before her eyes widened slightly in recognition. She had only seen the girl twice before, but each time she had been with Bobby. "D-Does Bobby want me?" She couldn't stop the tremor in her voice. The mere thought of Bobby made her flinch in fear.

Risty noticed her fear, but said nothing of it. "No, he doesn't. In fact, I came here to discuss Bobby with you."

If anything, this seemed to make Kitty more afraid. She bit her bottom lip in nervous habit and the tears in her eyes looked heavy and ready to fall. "W-What about h-him?" She stuttered, falling over her words in her worry.

"Well it's nothing really…" Risty began, trying to soothe the girl. "but I've sort of noticed that you've been really…distraught around him."

Kitty's eyes widened more. "No! N-No, that's not it!" She shivered and pulled her blanket higher, turning her face away from Risty.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Risty offered graciously. "Sometimes it's better to get things off your chest. You don't want to hold everything inside, do you?"

Kitty kept her face away. "It's…complicated."

Risty took this as opportunity to sit down. "I've heard a lot, why don't you try me?"

Kitty almost started to say something, but then she backed off. "I…I can't. I'm sorry, I-I just can't."

"Can't, or won't?" Risty asked perceptively. Of course, she knew the whole situation, but she wanted to get the girl to talk about it. She always felt better when she talked to someone about her problems and since Kitty didn't really even know Risty, that might even prove to be better.

"Both." Kitty admitted, still looking away. "It's just…too much. I just…I want to get away from it all."

"You mean like running?" Kitty flinched and Risty took that as a yes. Inwardly, she winced. The once outspoken Kitty was quiet and reserved now, damaged, maybe even beyond repair. Did Taliz even know what he was doing to the girl? Risty was sure he did. Kitty didn't seem like she could hide her feelings that well. "Why don't you try a hypothetical with me? I don't need to know details or anything, but it's better to talk about things that leave them sit."

Kitty glanced back at Risty, perhaps wondering who the girl was or why she was so interested in her life. Risty did her best to keep a reassuring, neutral expression. Kitty sighed deeply and broke eye contact again, choosing to stare at her bed. "You won't…tell anyone about this?"

"Of course not." Risty agreed.

Kitty gave her one more furtive glance before staring down at her covers again. "Well…suppose there's this girl." Risty nodded and Kitty continued slowly. "And she's friends with this guy who's girlfriend is her roommate…" Kitty hesitated. Risty gave her another reassuring smile and nod for her to continue. "Well…the guy likes this girl, but the girl only wants to be friends, but the guy is…persuasive. So the girl gets into a relationship with this guy behind her roommate's back and then the guy turns out to be a huge jerk." Kitty stopped and sniffed.

"Maybe the girl should break up with this guy." Risty suggested, knowing it wasn't a conclusion, only pressing to further let Kitty talk.

"She can't." Kitty explained. "The guy…he knows something that the girl has done, something bad…" Risty's eyebrows crossed. What was this? Kitty continued. "And he's holding it over this girl so that she can't break it off with him." This was news to Risty. She knew 'Bobby' made Kitty unhappy, but she had been convinced that Kitty was in love with 'Bobby' so that it didn't matter. But now she found out…Taliz was holding something over Kitty? What could it be?

"Why doesn't this girl just tell someone what she did so she can get out of the unhealthy relationship?" Risty asked.

Kitty stiffened. "She can't…it's too big…She's afraid…" Kitty turned her head farther away as the tears began to fall. "I'm afraid."

This new bit of information was really putting things into perspective. So not only was Taliz using Kitty for revenge, Kitty didn't _want _to be in the relationship. Risty nearly gasped out loud. Taliz had raped the girl! A whole new set of conclusions just thundered down upon Risty and she had to physically stop herself from screaming. Her eyes widened in horror at the poor girl before her. It took her a few seconds to get her expression back neutral, but luckily, Kitty was still turned away. Risty swallowed thickly. "Maybe…if this girl is so unhappy and being abused as such…maybe it'd just be better to tell what she did. Wouldn't it be better than to keep carrying on like this?"

Kitty burst out into full fledged tears, crying into her pillow. It took her a minute to regain herself enough to look at Risty, though her eyes were still reddened and hollow. "I killed somebody."

Something in Risty's brain snapped. It all made sense! Everything that Taliz had neglected to tell her! Zalen had constructed a false image in Kitty's mind that she had killed someone and the girl was too scared to tell anyone, so Taliz was using that against her to make Kitty his slave! Risty's jaw dropped as Kitty's eyes similarly widened in horror at what she had just said. Risty knew the girl hadn't meant to spill that. 'Within every criminal lies a secret want to confess'-she had heard that somewhere, and she was guessing it had just slipped out of Kitty's mouth before she thought straight. Kitty looked mortified, staring at Risty in such abject terror that Risty was surprised the girl wasn't giving herself a heart attack.

Kitty's pulse quickened as her gaze stayed on Risty. What had she done? She had just confessed her crime! To a complete stranger! She couldn't even speak. How could she have let it slip? She'd been so careful to hide everything!

Before anything could be said, a heavy knocking was heard at the door. Kitty's eyes shot up and instinctively, she knew. It was Bobby. Desperately, Kitty looked to Risty. "Hide!" Risty turned invisible and stripped off her clothes a second before the door swung open and Bobby sauntered in, closely followed by Zalen. Kitty freaked and sunk through the floor to escape and 'Bobby' smiled thinly.

"Get to work." He ordered. Risty hastily pulled off her socks and, quietly as she could, Risty backed up against the wall and her mutation latched on. Silently, she crawled up the side of the wall to the ceiling and looked down from there, watching the proceedings. Bobby and Zalen completely trashed the room then began to carve crude things into the walls and bedspreads. Risty's eyes widened in horror as they worked, writing the most sadistic, evil things to mentally deteriorate Marie. Halfway through, Risty couldn't watch anymore. She closed her eyes.

An hour later, something thudded beside her head. Risty's eyes shot open to see a knife sticking out of the ceiling, not inches from her face. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Taliz and Zalen leave the room. Swallowing thickly, Risty pulled her hands and feet away from the ceiling and dropped smoothly to the floor, turning visible once more. She quickly pulled on her lingerie, pants, shirt, and socks, but then froze. Frantically searching, she scanned every possible nook and cranny of the room. Her bracelet was gone.

----

**"Rogue! I've been looking for you everywhere!"** Hank exclaimed excitedly, coming down the hallway in the opposite direction of Bella and Rogue. Bella's eyes lit up at the sight of Hank.

"Doctor Hank!" She exclaimed, she hobbled up to him and threw herself at the furry mutant, who, surprised, caught her and awkwardly returned the hug she gave him. "Y' cured my Henri!"

Hank modestly colored. "Oh—you're welcome. It was nothing; he simply needed his rest before waking up from the drugs they used." Bella pulled away and flashed Hank a smile.

"Dank y' anyway!" She turned to Rogue. "Meet us in de garage. Remy, Pietro, Wandy, and John are goin' t' pick up some stuff—we're goin' too."

Rogue nodded. "Okay." Bella gave Hank and Rogue another smile and hobbled away.

Hank smiled lightly. "She's absolutely charming!"

Rogue gave a soft grin. "She is, isn't she? What is it ya wanted ta see meh fohr, Mr. McCoy?"

Hank waved her off. "Oh, Rogue. Just call me Hank. You're considered one of the older kids here anyway." Rogue nodded and Hank continued. "I wanted to discuss something with you…" He looked around them as if afraid they'd be overheard. "It's about Wanda's…illness."

Rogue frowned. "What about it?"

Hank paused. "Well, I don't know how much you know about Wanda's illness…"

"Ah know it all—Ah saw it after Ah touched her." Rogue explained.

Hank nodded. "Okay…well, Wanda's mutation naturally is always fighting off her mutant gene, and should it succeed…" He didn't need to finish the thought. "I've been working downstairs—and it's not complete or anything, but I think I've found a way to create an antibody that would strengthen Wanda's mutation to the point that it'd be able to overcome her human genes, thereby killing off all possibilities of the reverse happening."

Rogue was kind of shocked. "Really, Hank? That's wonderful!"

Hank nodded. "Shhh, yes it is…but I need you help."

"With what?"

Hank hesitated. "I don't think Wanda's going to be necessarily…thrilled to hear it."

Rogue frowned. "Why wouldn't she be?"

"I'm sure you could understand, if you know…" Hank looked slightly nervous again.

"But still." Rogue protested. "Why wouldn't she be happy ta hear there might be an antidote?"

Hank shifted again. "How much do you know about it, Rogue?"

"That her mutations goin' ta kill her and Erik forced it upon her as a child. Ah saw the doctor visit she took when she found out it would kill her an' when Erik gave it ta her as a child."

Hank looked significantly uneasy at this point. "After that doctor visit, Wanda went searching for the original doctors to see if they could undo the damage." Hank confessed, Rogue gave him a quizzical look. "She found me and demanded that I fix it…"

"What happened?" Rogue asked.

"After I heard how bad it had turned, I naturally tried to help her, but…"

"But?" Rogue pressed.

"I made a mistake in my calculations; I made the degenerative process progressively worse and the symptoms more painful by my foolish actions…" Hank looked deeply regretful.

Rogue winced. "Oh, crap."

"Yeah." Hank agreed. He turned back to Rogue, coming out of his personal musings. "But I truly think I have it this time Rogue. I think it could cure her."

"So why are ya tellin' meh this? Ya gotta tell Wanda."

"That's where I was hoping you'd help me…" Hank admitted. "Maybe, if you talked to her, she would take it better than if I did…"

Rogue nodded in understanding. "Yeah."

Hank mildly looked surprised. "You'll do it?"

"Yeah, of course."

Hank seemed very relieved. "Thank you, Rogue! I'll get back to work on it immediately!"

Rogue smiled as the good doctor scrambled off. "Don't forget to eat!" She turned back again down the hallway she had first come, to search for Wanda in the room that Bella had pushed her in.

She wound her way back around the hallway to the foyer room that Bella had pushed Wanda into. All sensible thought left Rogue's mind as she pushed open the door. Wanda was in the corner of the room in a very incriminating position. John stood directly in front of her, nearly entirely hiding her from view. Their lips were locked and John's hands were tightly wrapped around her back as he pressed her up against the wall while Wanda's anxious fingers explored the contents of his hair, roughing it through her fingers this way and that. Wanda's legs were wrapped around John's so that if he let go of her, she would trip and fall. They were melded together so fluidly, it seemed as if they were meant to fit together like that. Rogue's eyes bulged as she stared, transfixed to the spot, watching the two.

Wanda pulled back for air and opened her eyes so that her gaze landed directly on Rogue. Both women froze to the spot, Wanda's already flushed cheeks coloring all the more. Wanda pulled away further into the corner and John seemed to notice they were not alone. In a desperate attempt to hide it, Wanda smacked John across the face as if disgusted. A small smile tugged at Rogue's features as John protested. "Hey!"

Wanda cast John a short, dark glare before her gaze fixed back on Rogue. "Ut oh." Rogue was considering running for her life, but Wanda was already at her side and gripping her arm, pressing her against the door they had just come through. Rogue looked up at Wanda's reddened features, half struggling with the prospect of killing Rogue when Rogue actually laughed-she laughed!

Wanda seemed to go a shade redder and her grip tightened. "Rogue—"

But now that she had laughed once, Rogue couldn't stop herself. She chuckled and smiled up at Wanda. "This almost seems lihke de ja vu, doesn't it?" She laughed again. "No, Wanda, Ah won't tell anyone—ya don't have ta kill meh." From over Wanda's shoulder, Rogue could see John smiling too. Wanda released her arm, but still gave her a death glare. "We're leaving for Remy's soon." Rogue smiled. "Next tahme…" Rogue advised, inching towards the door. "Ah would try ta go ta a place that's more private than the front entrance—imagine if Bella came in an' saw ya two!" Wanda lunged at her, but Rogue was already out of the doorway.

Wanda turned to an equally as grinning John behind her. "Hey," John said, holding up his hands. "Don't look at me. You're the one who was crawling all over me with those legs! I'm the man, what's your excuse?"

Wanda roughly grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him closer. "You are in big trouble."

John grinned wolfishly. "I think I like the sound of that."

**A/N: I was just so thrilled with the last chapter, I kept going! So here's this one-but don't go expecting daily updates again. I'm supposed to be doing a Brit Lit project, but I just kept on with this one for you guys :) **


	16. Arguments

**Bella found Remy just inside the kitchen, conversing lightly with Henri. **"Remy!" Bella stumbled over to him and hugged him around the middle. Remy smiled and chuckled lightly while Henri put on a mock offended face.

"Well, danks a lot, Bella!"

Bella unfolded from Remy's arms and half-shoved Henri before falling into his arms as well. "Y' hush, Henri." Henri smiled lightly and kissed the top of her head. After a moment, Bella pulled away and turned back to Remy. "Remy, dere's somethin' we need t' talk about." She sounded serious, but Remy knew the topic wouldn't be altogether dire. Henri seemed to understand the same thing.

"Henri, everyone's meetin' in de garage t' pick up stuff from de house. Y' goin' with us?"

Henri shrugged. "Sure."

"Okay." Remy nodded. "We meet y' in de garage, we'll only be a minute."

Henri gave Remy a knowing smile and left the two in the kitchen. Remy offered Bella an arm to help her scuttle around and they followed at a much slower pace. "What's on y' mind?" Remy asked.

"Dat Roguey." Bella replied bluntly.

A small smile curled the edges of Remy's mouth in understanding. "Really? Now what would Roguey be doin' in y' doughts?"

"She likes y'." Bella commented absently.

"Really now?" Remy pressed. "She told y' dat, did she?"

Bella nodded. "Mhmm. Dat she did."

"Y' playin' matchmaker again, m' Bella?"

Bella gave him a sly smile and her eyes twinkled. "What would make y' dink dat?"

"Nothin' in particular." Remy responded, being equally as evasive. "So," He brought them closer to the point. "Y' want Remy t' like Roguey, huh? Remy hate t' tell y' dis, but he's one step ahead o' y' in dis one, _cherie._"

Bella winked. "I noticed. Y' like her too, y' should date her."

"Y' dink Roguey would like such up-frontness 'bout it?"

Bella nodded. "Mos' definitely. Make y' move, Remy."

"Alrigh'." Remy agreed. "Remy do what y' ask."

Bella seemed satisfied. "Good. Now, Bella 'bout t' make a bet wit' y'."

"Really?" Remy smiled. "Y' gunna bet on Remy's relationship?"

Bella shook her head. "_Non, _we gunna bet on Wandy's relationship."

Remy chuckled. "Wanda doesn't have a relationship!"

"She will now."

Remy gave Bella a full out, Remy-sexy smile. "Y', little Bella, interfere with other people's business a little too much. Dat gunna get y' int' trouble one day." Remy thought for a second. "Wanda an' Johnny, is it?" Bella nodded and Remy gave it a moment's consideration. "Remy give dem a couple o' days. Dey be together by de end o' two days."

Bella considered him for a moment. "I dink dey're already together."

"_Non,_ y' dink so? Dat fast?"

Bella nodded. "_Oui, _dey should be together by now."

Remy helped her down the steps into the underground garage. "We see what de others dink 'bout dis. I dink y' dinkin' a little too quickly, Bella."

"We'll see."

When they reached the basement, they found that Wanda, Henri, Pietro, and Rogue were already waiting there. Bella pranced down the last step and looked around, as if expecting John to pop out of the shadows. "Where's Johnny, Wandy?"

"The Hell should I know?" Wanda retorted a little too viciously. "And stop calling me that."

Bella winked at Remy who rolled his eyes in turn. A few minutes later, John came down the steps and joined the group. Remy gave John a suspicious once over. "Did y' actually comb y' hair?" He asked incredulously.

John colored slightly. "No! Shut up!" Of course, he had, according to Wanda's demands due to the fact his hair had been quite ruffled after their encounter. Rogue gave a short choking noise to which Wanda glared at her darkly.

"Are we leaving?" Rogue asked, taking Wanda's glare in step.

Bella nodded. "We need two cars. Wanda, John, and Rogue go in dat one—" she pointed to a random car in the garage, a black Mercedes. "An' me, Remy, Henri, and Pietro will go in dat one." She pointed to another car that was almost identical to the first. "Where de keys?" She asked Rogue. Rogue pointed to a key's rack against the far wall.

"All of them are interchangeable, ya can pick any two."

Bella's eyes seemed to gleam momentarily. She limped over to the keys' rack and tossed one of them at Rogue and the other at Pietro. "Let's go." They went over to their assigned cars and Rogue was about to sit in the driver's seat when Wanda grabbed her hand.

"You don't even have your license, do you?" Wanda asked calmly.

"Ah have mah temps!"

Wanda took the keys from her hand. "I don't feel like crashing."

"Ah'm a good driver!" Rogue protested, but she was forced into the backseat anyway. Stubbornly, she sat down in the back alone as John took passenger seat. "Well this isn't goin' ta lead anywhere good." Rogue commented absently.

Wanda shot her a death glare. Rogue shrugged. "No one cahn hear."

"What were Remy and Bella talking about?" Wanda questioned harshly as she started up the car.

Rogue shrugged. "Don't look at meh."

John decided it best not to mention Bella's advice at such a time. Maybe when they were further into the relationship...he considered the idea only seconds before dismissing it. Nope, bad idea. They exited the garage and Rogue relaxed back into her seat. Remy's was a good half hour away.

"Don't say anything stupid tonight."

"Ah'm not gunna say anythin'." Rogue said defensively. "Ah'm not stupid either."

Wanda quirked an eyebrow at her which Rogue saw through the rearview mirror. "I was talking to John."

"Hey, I'm not stupid." John protested in a tone much similar to Rogue's.

"I never said you were." The words almost seemed physically hard for Wanda to say.

"It was implied!"

"No it wasn't."

"Yes it was!"

Wanda closed her eyes for a second and shook her head. "Are you always this immature?"

"Hey!" Rogue cried from the backseat. "Eyes on the road, Wanda!" The front left tire lifted slightly and the sound of cracking bones could be heard. Rogue winced. "Eww, Wanda pay attention."

"I am paying attention!"

"No you weren't." John sided with Rogue.

Wanda growled at him and Rogue chuckled. When her glare turned to Rogue, Rogue shrugged. "What? Ya sounded like Logan. It was funny."

John laughed at this, but quickly shut up as Wanda's glare returned to him. Her eyes off the road for a significant time, the car had started to drift lanes again into oncoming traffic. Rogue barked at Wanda. "EYES ON THE ROAD!" Just in time for Wanda to swerve out the way of an oncoming car back into the correct lane.

John stuck half his body out the window and flicked the guy off with a shouted "Asshole!" before plopping back down into his seat.

"Who's the bad driver?"

"Shut up." Wanda snapped.

"It was that car's fault." John could easily switch sides in an argument quickly, Rogue marveled.

"'Ah don't want ta crash'." Rogue mocked.

"Shut up!"

They approached a stoplight on red and the car jerked to a stop. "Ah'm drivin' home." Rogue decided, Wanda glared at her again, but Rogue was becoming accustomed to the other woman's accusatory glares. She wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or not. The light dragged on and John huffed loudly.

In another half a second, Wanda yelped and slapped John's hand away. "Don't touch me! I'm driving!"

"You can multitask." John leaned over the middle seat and pressed his mouth against Wanda's. Wanda pushed him away at first, but John was persistent and she eventually gave in. Her hands wrapped around his neck as she pulled him over from his seat so that he was halfway splayed across the middle, halfway in her lap.

Rogue blinked and sat back. The light turned green. "It's green, guys." They didn't seem to hear her. A car from behind honked noisily and, still with John on her lap and visually impairing her sight, Wanda's foot pressed against the gas and the car jerked forward. "WANDA!" Rogue yelped, alarmed. Wanda seemed to come back to her senses and partially pushed John down so that he still laid across her lap, but wasn't directly in front of her face. Wanda gripped the wheel and righted the car. She momentarily glanced down at John and glared at him darkly.

"This is your fault."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Fohr heaven's sakes, ya should have jus' let meh drive!"

John grinned and poked Wanda in the side. Her glare deepened, but she kept her eyes on the road. Not yet discouraged by her lack of reaction, John poked her again. "Stop that." Wanda barked. But John seemed to think Wanda was simply hiding the fact that she was ticklish. He poked her several more times before Wanda shouted at him again. "STOP! There is nothing funny about being jabbed in the side with your prying fingers. I'm not ticklish, get out of here!" She attempted to shove him out of her lap, but John barely moved. Wanda breathed sharply in frustration.

"Don't want to." John was enjoying her frustration. "You're cute when you're mad." Wanda wasn't sure whether or not to take that as a compliment or not. She cast one last look down at John's smiling face before glancing back at Rogue.

"Rogue, take the wheel."

Rogue's eyes widened. "Ya kiddin', right?" But Wanda apparently, was not kidding.

"Shut up! You wanted to drive, didn't you? Just hop over the middle—wait, John MOVE." She pushed him to the side again and this time he moved with a winning smirk on his features.

Rogue stared at Wanda incredulously. "We're on a freeway!"

"It's not busy! Just get your ass over here!" Wanda commanded.

Rogue was shocked, but Wanda didn't appear to be kidding at all. Hesitantly, Rogue hopped over the lower, middle seat. "Okay, I'm going to keep my foot on the petal—you go over and when you're situated, step on it."

"It's probably not a good tahme ta mention Ah've never driven on the freeway before, is it?"

"Just shut up." It took some considerable maneuvering and another near-crash experience, but Rogue was finally situated and Wanda crawled to the backseat with John following her.

"Um, guys…" Rogue bit her bottom lip, Wanda glared at her aggressively.

"What?"

If truth was told, Rogue had never actually driven on the road before. She was a good driver in a parking lot—she knew that, but she hadn't exactly found time or someone to go on the road with her. "Never mind…" Rogue gripped the wheel so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Quietly, Rogue made the sign of the cross and let out a silent plea. "Help."

----

"**So, wait a minute."** Pietro wore a quizzical frown. "You think Wanda and John are going to date? Simply because Bella told John to ask Wanda? No offense Bella."

"None taken. Y' jus' don' know de powers o' persuasion I control." Bella offered.

Pietro lifted an eyebrow. "Uh huh…"

Remy interrupted. "So what's y' guess, _homme?_"

Pietro pondered. "If they get together at all? Four days."

Remy shook his head. "Not a chance, _homme. _Dat's way too long. No way Johnny boy could preserve dat long." Remy turned to Henri. "What 'bout y'? How long do y' dink it'll be?"

Henri scratched his slightly frizzled chin. "A day. I give it by de end o' de night."

"Remy can accept dat." Remy nodded. "Now we need t' find out Roguey's vote."

"I shoulda assigned y' t' de same car as her." Bella mused quietly.

"Dat would o' been nice." Remy grinned. "Save it fo' de way back."

Pietro frowned at the road. Henri visibly grimaced and sat back heavily. Remy poked his head up between the two seats. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." At Remy's pointed glance, he explained. "The guys just ran over a squirrel." Pietro confessed. Remy and Bella both chuckled while Pietro gave them a slightly disgusted look.

"Wonder whose drivin'?" Henri asked.

"I gave de keys t' Roguey." Bella volunteered helpfully.

"Yeah, but Remy don' dink Wanda would let her keep dem." Remy pointed out logically.

Bella pondered this. "Good point."

Pietro yawned. "So Bella's playing matchmaker, huh?"

Henri grinned. "She does dis all de time."

"Really?"

Remy nodded. "Yup, she's usually right too."

Bella interrupted. "_Non, _not usually—always."

"Cocky much?"

"_Non, _Bella jus' knows her skills." Henri smiled, relaxing back into his seat.

"Dat's right." Bella agreed. She turned to face Remy. "Y' better be a good boy fo' Roguey."

"Remy's always a good boy." Remy contradicted.

Pietro swerved on the road. "Whoa, what?"

Bella grinned happily oblivious. "Remy's goin' t' go out wit' Roguey."

Pietro quirked a skeptical eyebrow. "Really?"

"What are y' bein' so skeptic 'bout? Remy can do it." Pietro looked over at Henri.

"You don't even know Rogue…besides, she doesn't exactly strike me as your type, Remy."

"Ever' beautiful woman is Remy's type, _homme._ Don' even fret over it."

Pietro rolled his eyes. "I'm sweating."

Remy grinned. "Hey, _homme, _has Bella tried t' matchmake y' yet?"

"_Non, _I haven't."

"Thank God for small favors." Pietro muttered under his breath.

Henri heard him. "Maybe she should."

"I'm fine, thanks. I don't need anybody to play matchmaker for me."

Remy gave him a skeptic look. "Really? When's de last time y' were with a woman? Remy can' remember any specific date."

"Shut up." Pietro snapped defensively. "Just because I don't have another woman every night like some people…"

"Aww," Bella stood up for him, "Remy jus' gets lonely an' needs his comfort."

Remy grinned winningly. "Dat's right."

Pietro shook his head. Henri pointed again and snickered. "Dey jus' nearly crashed again! Dat's de second time! Whoever's drivin' is a horrible driver."

Bella whipped out a cell phone. "Let's call dem."

"You have their number?" Pietro asked.

"O' course." Bella scoffed. After two rings, a jittery Rogue picked up. "Hello _chere!_" Bella greeted warmly.

"Uhm, hi Bella…" Rogue sounded nervous.

"What's wrong, _chere?_"

Rogue was desperately trying to keep her attention on the road and would have greatly preferred to be steering with two hands, but she didn't want to appear rude or anxious. "Nothin'--Ah'm jus' fine. What's up?"

Bella seemed to take it, or she just didn't care to press Rogue. "We jus' have a few questions, Roguey. Y' phone isn't on speaker is it?"

_Ah doubt anyone but meh would be able ta hear, even if it was. _"No, it's not."

"Okay." Bella seemed to be very jubilant, more so than normal. "Well, _Chere, _we jus' wonderin' a few dings. Who's drivin' de car?"

"Well…Ah am now." Rogue admitted. In the background she could hear snickers from Remy and Pietro. "Ah wasn't before!" Rogue protested. At this rate, nobody would believe that she was a good driver.

"O' course, _fille._" Rogue could imagine Bella glaring at Remy and Pietro. "Anyway, we got dis hypothetical fo' y'." Rogue nodded, but then realized Bella couldn't see her.

"Go on…" She replied, her hand on the wheel was stiff.

"Well, suppose a little fairy tells Johnny dat he should date Wandy, ey?"

Rogue bit her bottom lip. "Are ya this 'fairy', Bella?"

"Dat's irreverent." Bella waved her off; also obvious to the fact that Rogue couldn't see her. "But suppose dis fairy did. How long do y' dink it'd take fo' Wandy an' Johnny t' get together?"

Rogue cast a sideways glance at the back seat. Despite their position, Rogue was at least glad that Wanda and John had refrained from removing any clothing. It was a huge comfort. "Umm…Ah don't know."

"Jus' guess, _fille, _no pressure."

"Err…a week." Rogue inwardly cursed. A week? That was plenty of time, of course, and why doesn't she just make Wanda sound like a slut?

Bella grinned. "Danks _fille, _dat's all we wanted." Bella hung up and Rogue gratefully dropped her phone, returning her other hand to the wheel.

"Roguey says a week."

Remy smiled too. "Roguey said dat? Remy woulda guessed dat she say a month o' so."

Bella gave him a sly smile. "Maybe dat's cause dey're already together."

Remy relaxed back into his seat. "We'll see about dat."

----

**Risty peered in the kitchen. **It was empty. Inwardly, she cursed again. She had to find Kitty. If Taliz and Zalen had found her bracelet in Kitty's room, both her and Kitty were in danger. She was about to take a step forward into the room when something grabbed her hair from behind and yanked back. Risty cried out as she was pulled back and Zalen's face came into view.

"You invisible little bitch." Zalen's eyes were narrowed and snakelike, his fingers woven through her invisible hair to touch her skull and cradle it in one hand. His grip tightened as his other hand came up to dump water on her head. The water drizzled down over her face so that he could temporarily see her expression. This only seemed to give him confirmation. "Yeah, Risty. You better be scared."

"Zalen, stop it!" Risty yelled. "I didn't do anything!"

Zalen's eyes narrowed even more and he held up a black bracelet. "Found this in Kitty's room. You still want to talk?" Risty didn't say anything, she couldn't. "Thought so." Zalen gripped her arm and roughly pulled her away. "Let's go."

Zalen was leading her to his and Taliz's shared room. Risty struggled, but she was not stronger than Zalen and her gripping powers were useless in this situation. She didn't know how Zalen had found her, but he always managed to do so when she was invisible. Risty wished she had more time in Kitty's room to apply her powers fully, creating the invisible shield that could also project to cover objects around her, thus her clothes. But that one took time and she hadn't completely mastered it yet, as such, she had placed herself in her current predicament.

A student came down the hallway and blinked at Zalen, apparently grabbing at air. Zalen's eyes flashed to the kid and a clouded expression came over the kid's features. Zalen quickly hurried past, leaving the kid in the hallway behind before he came upon the door. He kicked it inward and the door flung open. Zalen shoved her in and quickly shut the door behind him. "Risty. Show yourself."

"I-I'm naked." Risty protested. Zalen's eyes narrowed again and he pointed to a corner.

"Get there, now."

Risty obediently followed his direction and sat down, huddled in the corner. Zalen walked over to the directed corner and knelt down, staring at the girl he couldn't see. To assure himself that Risty was truly there, he outstretched a hand and it landed on her shoulder. He gripped her tightly, his hands vise-like. "Tell me what happened."

Risty shivered, it was cold and even though she was invisible, Risty felt much too exposed with Zalen's hand on her like that. "I didn't tell her anything." Risty told him truthfully. "I just felt bad for her so I…"

"So you what?" Zalen's voice turned mocking. "Were you going to talk to her about her feelings?"

"I swear, that's all I did! I just thought that she might feel better if she could relate to someone…" Risty's expression suddenly darkened. "You guys lied to me! She doesn't want to be in the relationship at all! You modified her memory and made her think she killed that boy so you could use her!"

Zalen smiled. "Brilliant, isn't it?"

"You're using her! That's rape!" Risty exclaimed in horror.

Zalen didn't seem affected by the accusation. "You can talk to Taliz about your relationship issues. I'm not going to console you." Zalen pursed his lips. "However, if you know this…then she must have talked to you, did she not?" He didn't wait for her to answer. "Damnit Risty, did you have to meddle? This does not concern you! Do you want us to send you back home?"

Risty shied away from him. "I want to talk to Taliz."

Zalen rolled his eyes. "Right. He'll be here in a minute." Almost immediately after he said it, the door opened and Taliz entered. He locked the door behind him and turned to Zalen.

"Is she here?"

"She's right here." Zalen confirmed. He stepped back from the corner and let Taliz take his place. Taliz looked infuriated.

"What did she say?" He reached out blindly and his hand grazed the side of her cheek. Taliz's eyes showed his anger.

"She got the Kitty girl to talk to her about her 'feelings'."

"What?!" Taliz turned to her. "You did what?"

"You lied to me, Taliz!" Risty accused. "You were using Kitty all along! The girl's practically afraid of her own shadow because of you!"

Taliz gritted his teeth. "Sacrifices had to be made. You, however, had no right to go talk to Kitty."

"I didn't reveal anything!" Risty cried in protest. "I only wanted to help her! She's been crying for days! You may want revenge against Marie, but that doesn't give you liberty to drag other innocent people into it!"

Taliz smacked her across the face. "Don't you dare talk to me like that. It's obvious that you're not even sorry for going to Kitty."

"Why should I be sorry for trying to help her?"

"You went behind my back with this." Taliz continued, as if she hadn't spoken. "If Kitty had enough guts to tell you, a girl she barely knows, then she's going to tell others as well! You've completely screwed up the plan!"

"Your plan shouldn't have dragged her into this in the first place!" Risty shouted. Taliz slapped her again and spat in her face. Risty flinched back as tears came to her eyes. Taliz looked up at Zalen. "Find Kitty, quickly. You're going to need to convince her to come here by choice. If she's scared, she'll run and you can't catch her. Bring her here and I'll decide what to do." Taliz's angry glare turned back to her. "As for you…Risty, give me your hands." When Risty didn't immediately comply, Taliz reached out a hand and Risty felt a cold chill crawl up her arm. She yelped as she felt her control flicker and die out. As soon as she was visible, Taliz grabbed her hands and picked up a rope from his dresser drawer. Risty mildly wondered why he had a rope before he started winding it around her hands. From there, he latched the rope around her feet too, so that she was stuck in a very uncomfortable, huddled up position in the corner. Risty shivered again, wishing she had some clothes. Taliz tightened the rope painfully, ignoring the tears in her eyes. "I thought you were with us, Risty. Until we're done here or unless you prove otherwise, you're to stay there like that. If you hear anybody approach this door, you're to disappear. You understand me?"

Risty just turned her head away and buried her face in her knees, not wanting Taliz to see her cry. Taliz gave her one last dour glance before he followed Zalen out. Risty heard Zalen's muffled voice from outside the door. "I told you she wasn't 'on board'."

Taliz said nothing in return. The tears in Risty's eyes fell and she sobbed into her knees, helpless and fearful.

----

**Kitty had to find that girl. **That was proving problematic. For one thing, Kitty had left her in her room when Bobby had showed up. She didn't know what happened to the girl, but she had seemed to disappear completely. The fact that Kitty still hadn't found her only made Kitty more fearful. For another thing, Kitty hadn't even known the girl's name. She was searching blindly. Somehow, she didn't think it'd be polite to ask 'have you seen the Goth girl'—not that she could afford to worry about politeness right now. She was desperate.

Kitty skidded to a halt as she saw Zalen, Bobby's new friend, apparently struggling with air as he forced his way into Bobby's room. Kitty stepped back behind into the wall and watched as he slammed the door behind him. She couldn't hear what was being said and she didn't know what was going on, but it was clear that two people were in the room from the sounds of their voices.

Feet padded down the hallway she had just been in. Kitty ducked her head further into the wall to hide from the new person, who appeared to be Bobby. Bobby seemed furious; if Kitty had been standing at the end of the hall, she doubted he would have seen her. Bobby stormed into the room and Kitty heard the lock click behind him. Kitty was significantly curious, but she wouldn't have gone near Bobby if you paid her. Kitty decided to wait it out. Besides, that Goth girl might come down the hallway. It was unlikely, but Kitty had searched the whole mansion and turned up with nothing. It wouldn't be much worse to just stand and wait.

Kitty strained her ears to hear what they were saying, but it all came out muffled. However, when her name was mentioned, Kitty froze and strained all the more to hear. She couldn't exactly make out everything, but the people inside were yelling a lot, so she could make out more of it than she should have.

Kitty couldn't make it all out. Somebody shouted something about Taliz, whatever that was, and her name popped up a few other times, but other than that and a few mishaps screams, there was nothing to connect it. Footsteps thudded closer to the door and Kitty ducked back into the opposite wall. Bobby and Zalen both stepped out and went down opposite hallways. Kitty frowned. Zalen had been talking to somebody before Bobby had entered, yet only two people had left.

Kitty was a naturally curious person. The fact that her name had been shouted several times only increased her curiosity. She needed to find that Goth girl before she said anything and she had left the girl as Bobby and Zalen came into her room…maybe she could find something inside? Curiosity killed the cat.

Kitty darted across the hallway and peeked inside. Bobby's room looked quite messy, which was surprising as Bobby generally was a clean person. Kitty's eyes roamed across the room until her gaze fell upon a sight that made her choke and fall the rest of the way through the wall.

Sitting all curled up in the far right corner of the room, a girl huddled pitifully, naked and shivering. She hadn't noticed Kitty's head sticking in through the wall because she was crying into her knees, but her head shot up as Kitty thumped to the floor of Bobby's room in shock. If it weren't for her black hair and dark eyes, Kitty might not have recognized her without the dark, Goth clothing.

The girl's eyes found Kitty and she squeaked, perhaps scared. Kitty gaped at her, at a lost for words. The girl's large, watery eyes locked on Kitty's shocked ones. "Kitty!" Her voice came out as a hushed whisper, barely audible. "You need to get out of here! Taliz and Zalen are looking for you! They're going to—well; honestly, I don't know, maybe hurt or kill you! You've gotta get out of here!"

Kitty's eyes bulged all the more. "What?"

"I don't have time to explain!" Risty cried desperately. "Just go! You've gotta get out of here!"

"Too late for that." Bobby stood in the doorway, smiling sadistically again. Kitty yelped and went to grab Risty to drag the girl out with her, but she never got the chance to.

Unseen by the frantic Kitty who was trying to rescue Risty and escape herself, something was happening to Bobby. A dark, thick liquid was stepping out of Bobby's form. The slime came from every opening, his ears, his nose, mouth, even his eyes. When the liquid had completely separated from Bobby, it congealed into a disformed image of a human being before lunging forward at Kitty. Bobby fell limply to the ground. Before Kitty's hands even touched Risty, the slime-like, shade being that Risty knew to be Taliz was thrown over Kitty. Kitty jolted and tried to phase, but to her horror, she found that she couldn't phase through the shadowman. Taliz pitted himself inside Kitty, crawling in through her mouth.

Kitty choked and grabbed uselessly at her throat, but it made no difference. Taliz sunk down into her system, one slimy part after another. Kitty fell to her knees as black spots invaded her vision and a funny feeling began to settle through her body. She felt…tingly. All over. Kitty tried to move her hand up, but found that her body wasn't reacting to her brain's commands. Kitty panicked as a voice reverberated through her mind. "I'm in control now." With that, darkness engulfed Kitty's vision and she felt no more.


	17. Breathe

**Darkly painted black walls loomed over, making one particular inhabitant of the room feel small and insignificant.** Some of the furniture was twisted out of shape, deformed and morbidly alluring. A single light hung from the middle of the room, glowing dimly against its dark surroundings. A large red X had been carved into the ceiling, tiny speckled dots dented the X and surrounding black. No posters or bright colors could be seen in the damp room. Even the dresser was a dark shade of gray, lifeless as the rest of the room. "Ah cahn see how ya always are so happy, Wanda. This place would lift mah spirits too." Rogue bit off sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at her new surroundings. A second ago, she had been in a warm, cozy kitchen. Walking into Wanda's room was like walking into another dimension.

Wanda didn't say anything, only continued to pack away clothes from a limited selection in her closet. That wasn't to say the woman didn't have many clothes, only certain kinds. Rogue sat down on the bed and laid back. Her eyes caught on the huge red X in the ceiling and the tiny dents surrounding it. A dart stuck out of the middle of the X. Her eyebrow lifted further. "An' most people would simply use a dartboard…"

Wanda didn't pause in her packing, but replied sullenly. "Are you done analyzing my room?"

"Why, does it annoy ya?" Rogue asked caddishly.

"Every time you speak, I'm annoyed."

Rogue grinned. "That's not true. If it were, Ah'd already be suffocatin' by ya bed sheets."

"Is that a request?"

"Bella was right." Rogue commented absently. "Ya need some communication skills. Everythin' with ya is communicated through ya threats."

"That's not going to change." Wanda asserted. "And if you set Bella on me, I'll push you through the window."

Rogue chuckled. "Ah know ya weakness now." Around Wanda, Rogue had gained a different sort of confidence. Wanda only communicated through threats, sarcasm, an interesting boredom, and anger, so that Rogue had become accustomed to her methods and developed some of her own in return. The result was a wry, sarcastic humor towards Wanda.

"You've caught me; I hate annoying, pestering girls who won't shut up about my habits and social skills."

"So ya do care what other people think about ya!" Rogue surmised. "Ah knew it!"

Wanda rolled her eyes as she stuffed the last thing in her closet into the sports bag. A short laugh was heard from the doorway where Remy stood, watching the two women. "Remy dink dat Wanda's rubbin' off on y' sarcastic sense o' humor, _chere._"

"That's a good thing. She's too nice." Wanda slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Ah'm right here, Ah cahn hear ya, Wanda."

"And I didn't notice the annoying speculations of my room." Wanda added dryly.

Remy chuckled again. "We're goin' out t' eat before we go home."

Wanda raised a skeptical eyebrow. It was perfectly arched, so demising and questioning that Rogue had to marvel at the woman's skill in facial expressions. She might be an anti-social, people hater, but she had mastered the art of expression. "Bella decided this, did she?"

"_Oui,_" Remy nodded. "She did. Y' oughta' be a nice girl, dough Wanda. Remy hears some funny dings."

Wanda's eyes sharpened, but she refrained from saying anything. To care what Remy had heard would go against all of her morals of her detached personality. Remy gave her a lazy grin. "Remy wonders…Roguey didn't start off drivin' de car, did she?" Wanda's expression remained emotionless; Remy gave one last grin before turning and shutting the door behind him. Wanda's narrowed eyes flicked over Rogue again.

"Hey, it's not mah fault ya can't keep off each other."

"Rogue…" Wanda warned.

Rogue backed off. She might have gained confidence with Wanda, but Wanda still won out in the end. The woman was just so much more imposing than the sweet southerner. "Okay! Okay! Sorry! Ah won't make any more suggestive comments."

"Let's go." Wanda's eyes flicked to the dart in the middle of the X and wiggled slightly before it fell down out from the ceiling, bouncing a few times on the bed as Wanda picked it up and put it in the outer pocket of her bag.

"Souvenir? Or are ya jus' plannin' ta ruin the ceiling at the mansion as well?" Rogue asked.

"It's for you." Wanda explained. "It helped me learn precision of my powers."

Rogue was sincerely surprised. "How thoughtful of ya."

"If you continue to point out every nice thing I do, I'll stop being considerate." Wanda threatened.

Rogue smiled genuinely. "Touchy much? Maybe ya jus' becomin' soft and caring."

"If that's what you're hoping, you're a long ways off."

"So ya know ya problem already?" Rogue questioned.

"I don't have a problem." Wanda remained resolute.

"Now ya in denial. And we were makin' such progress…" Rogue trailed off.

"Stop imitating Bella."

Rogue grinned. "At least ya haven't lashed out yet."

"Keep talking." Wanda challenged.

"Hint taken." Rogue commented. "But ya know, Ah'm still not lettin' ya drive again."

Wanda gave her a dark look and Rogue chuckled as she ducked out of Wanda's room. Wanda followed Rogue out of her room and nearly crashed into a slowly limping Bella. "Watch it."

Bella smiled at her politely as if Wanda had just complimented her. "We goin' out t' eat."

"I've heard." Wanda replied curtly, anxious to get away from the hyper woman before she started another step of her 'plans' for her. Wanda moved to step forward, but Bella stepped into her way. Wanda frowned, tight lipped and moody. "Did you want something?"

Bella almost seemed like she was going to say something, but then a lightness in her eyes seemed to flitter across her expression. "_Non, fille, _jus' dought I'd tell y'." She moved away, leaving a sour-looking Wanda sending dark glares at her back.

--

**For two whole minutes, Risty thought someone might walk past the hallway, catch a glimpse of the inside and be curious enough to walk through that open doorway to find the mess inside. **She wasn't so lucky. The only person strolling by happened to be Zalen, and he was already aimed for that room. Zalen entered without hesitation and, upon seeing Bobby and Kitty collapsed on the floor, he quietly shut the door behind him and glared up at the corner Risty was in. "Show yourself." His tone of voice was enough alone. Risty flickered in view, huddled up and shivering.

"What happened?"

Risty considered not answering, but Zalen decided for her. When she didn't immediately answer, he went over to the corner of the room that Risty was in and squatted down. Gripping her chin tightly in his hands, Zalen forced her to look at him, face-to-face. His eyes glowed a deep blood red before Risty realized what he was doing and roughly pulled away with a shout. "No, Zalen, don't!"

"Tell me what happened." Zalen ordered.

Risty shivered. "Kitty…stumbled in here." Risty stretched the truth just a little bit, for Kitty's sake. "And then Taliz came back."

"And?" Zalen questioned harshly, not letting up.

"And he overcame her."

Zalen understood. With a glare, he stood up and dragged Bobby further into the room. Grabbing a pair of metal handcuffs from his dresser drawer, Zalen secured Bobby's hands together around his back. Carelessly letting Bobby fall to his side, Zalen went to Kitty's fallen form and scooped her up into his arms. A few seconds later, Risty heard the shower turn on.

Garbled conversation was exchanged in hushed tones before Zalen exited, casting a disgusted glance at Risty as he went. Shortly following, Taliz came out with a towel, drying Kitty's wet hair. He too, glanced up at Risty, and his gaze softened at the sight of her.

"Risty, you must be freezing…" Taliz deposited the towel on the floor and went over to the bed, grabbing a fuzzy blanket. He walked over to Risty and draped the blanket around her shoulders. Risty determinedly kept her gaze away from Taliz, attempting to hide her anguish at his deeds. Taliz saw straight through her. After a moment's hesitation, he sat down next to her and pulled her into his shoulder.  
It simply felt wrong. What should have been a securing, manly shoulder was slim and feminine. Risty didn't get the warm feeling she always had when Taliz was around her in his real form, _his _true form. She missed placing her head against his defined chest, missed feeling reassured. Here, she was simply empty.

"Don't worry Risty, this'll all be over soon." Risty set her jaw and tried not to cry. Taliz felt her tense and pulled her against him further, stroking a hand through her black hair. "I'm sorry, Risty. For this whole thing—I really am." It was a lie. Risty knew it, Taliz knew it. He wasn't sorry for the current situation. Maybe for needing to lock her up, but he would continue with his mad quest for revenge. "I didn't want you to come to go through this."

Risty's eyes clouded. She knew it. He hadn't been sorry for anything, just that she had to see this cruel side of him. Risty was almost glad she had come with him; at her first opportunity, she would escape his clutches. She didn't want to love a monster. Taliz was driven by his anger, too enthralled in revenge to care about his actions or the consequences. He could be reasonable, yes, but not when he had his mind set. He had made up his mind about David long ago, and Marie was to pay for that.

Risty reflected back on Marie. She hadn't known the girl very well, but had come across her a few times when David brought her with him. She had seemed like a fairly nice girl, she was polite and sweet—Risty couldn't have misjudged her character more. Taliz had come back on the day it happened and told her everything, from what Marie had done all the way to David's condition. The girl had purposely poisoned David with that evil touch of hers; she had sucked the life out of David. David didn't make it, his heart couldn't take it. Even thinking about it, Risty winced. David had been so young…

"—Okay?" Risty snapped back to the present, somewhat aware that Taliz had been speaking as she drifted off. At Risty's lack of response, Taliz grip tightened as he pulled her closer. "Everything's going to be alright. I promise, Risty. When this is done and over, we'll leave and get married and live together in New Jersey, just how you wanted. Okay?"

Risty nodded emptily. It'd do no good to outright reject Taliz. That would only make him angry. Besides, she wouldn't want to give herself up so soon. She had to get away from Taliz and she wouldn't be able to do that if he suspected her further. "Okay." Risty agreed weakly.

Taliz gave her a sharp smile. "Okay." He stood up and patted her on the back twice. "You just hang in there. I'll fix everything, you'll see." With that, he turned and left. Risty huddled into the corner and attempted to pull the blanket further over her back. She shivered in the cold as her eyes glazed over the still form of Bobby. She was truly alone.

--

**After a short walk, due to Bella's insistence, they arrived at the restaurant and seated themselves, minus Pietro who decided to skip out on them and run back to the mansion. **Bella's restaurant of choice happened to be Denny's, which made sense since it was so late and almost nowhere else was open. Taco Bell could have been a second choice, but Rogue didn't like eating meats that she couldn't identify and they had all agreed on Denny's.

Despite initial complaints, the late night dinner was going rather well. Rogue was enjoying the friendly conversation with her friends and a platter of blueberry pancakes when the trouble started. It began innocently enough; Rogue had to stop herself from laughing out loud when she realized what was happening.

Throughout the meal, Wanda had seemed somewhat uncomfortable. Rogue didn't realize why until halfway through. Wanda had been fidgeting all evening and Rogue thought something might be wrong, but she soon discovered the cause. Wanda gave a particularly violent, jerky squirm and nearly shoved Rogue out of the booth by doing so. Rogue righted herself and flicked an annoyed gaze at Wanda before she saw the woman quietly slapping away John's hand under the table. Rogue's slightly annoyed expression turned to amusement and she looked down at her plate to hide her smile.

Wanda saw Rogue's amused grin and shot her a dark glare. John took Wanda's momentarily lapse of concentration on him and reached out again, lowly curving his arm around Wanda's midsection. Wanda stiffened and tried to unsuccessfully get away from his arm without causing a scene. Out of the corner of her eye, Rogue saw Bella nod and wink at her.

"Wanda!" Bella exclaimed randomly, turning her attention to the fidgety girl. Wanda nearly jumped out of her skin and Rogue found herself again nearly falling out of the booth.

Wanda's reflexes were fast though, and she grabbed Rogue's arm and hauled her back upright before Rogue could fall. "Sorry." She muttered. Her gaze turned back to Bella. "What?"

"Not'ing important _fille,_" Bella smiled innocently, "y' jus' seem a little jumpy today, _heh_?"

"I'm fine." Wanda replied curtly. One glance out of the side of her eyes towards John quickly stopped his fanatics. Wanda had a special way of getting her point across without words. Rogue snickered, but Wanda didn't turn towards her. That'd be too incriminating.

"Pass de hot sauce will y' _chere_?" Remy grinned at her openly. Rogue returned the smile and gave him the hot sauce. Remy proceeded to empty the bottle onto his plate.

"Could you look any more taken with him?" Wanda asked in retaliation to Rogue's snicker. Rogue's cheeks turned a light shade of red. Remy grinned wider.

"Could ya fidget a little more?" Rogue returned. Wanda's eyes went to slits and Rogue suddenly found herself falling out of the booth again.

Wanda glanced over at her on the floor. "Sorry." She replied insincerely, "Was adjusting."

"Adjustin' what?" Rogue sent a wicked glare to Wanda before her eyes landed on John, who was trying very hard to contain himself. The edges of her mouth curved upwards.

Wanda made a hissing noise that came off very much as a threat. Bella stood up at the other side of the booth and held out her arms. "Well, _mesdames et messieurs, _I t'ink we have our winner! Remy, y' owe me two hundred." Bella sat back down comfortably smiling.

Wanda blinked, her gaze traveled from Bella to Remy before momentarily stopping on Rogue and then flashing over to John. John's hidden smile dropped under her dark glare and he helplessly held out his arms. "I have no idea what she's talking about." It was half true anyway. He could assume that Remy and Bella had made a bet on their relationship, but he wasn't about to tell Wanda that.

"You took bets on my relationship?" Rogue couldn't even distinguish the emotion behind Wanda's eyes. "You damn Cajuns!" The seat behind both Remy and Bella twisted out of shape and began to hug the two tightly, wrapping around them and drawing them into the seat. Rogue and Henri squawked audibly as Henri began trying to pull the Bella out of the encompassing seat and Rogue's fingers twitched, attempting to undo what Wanda was doing.

John lifted a questioning eyebrow at his red-eyed, enraged girlfriend. "Hunny…" She didn't acknowledge him. John glanced at the other end of the diner where their waitress stood staring in abject terror, her plates shattered against the floor. John leapt up from his seat and firmly pressed his lips against Wanda's. Wanda faltered and her control over the seating relaxed to the point that Rogue was able to undo what she'd done. John furthered the kiss as he felt Wanda relax in his grip. Wanda's hands wandered up to his shoulders, and after a moment longer, she pushed him back.

"We're having a talk later." She promised darkly. John held a somewhat stable smile before looking back over to the waitress.

"I think we better leave now."

As soon as Remy and Bella were completely free from the seating, which Wanda (although reluctantly) fixed into place again, Bella stood and gave Wanda a standing ovation. "Dat was beautiful, _chere_. A moment t' remember forev'r!" Wanda's eyes flashed to her wickedly, but Bella ignored her glare as she marched towards the exit. Before reaching the door, she passed by the waitress and gave her a twenty. "Dat's y' tip." She smiled winningly at the frozen waitress and proceeded out the door.

Remy and Henri looked at each other with a knowing glance and followed her out. Wanda started walking out with John, but Rogue had to talk to Wanda. "Wanda!" Wanda looked over her shoulder at her. "Ah need ta talk ta ya."

"About what?" Wanda snapped, still rather bad-tempered, despite John's reassurance.

"Somethin' important." Rogue apologetically glanced at John. "Ah gotta talk ta ya alone." John shrugged and caught up to the rest of the gang while Wanda and Rogue hung back a bit, out of immediate earshot.

"What is it?" Wanda asked directly, her gaze following John's form ahead.

"Well," Rogue started slowly, "y' might be a little resistant ta hear it, but…"

"Why does this sound like a familiar prerequisite to every conversation we have? Wanda sullenly lowered her gaze to the mutant beside her.

Rogue almost smiled at that, but she couldn't risk being strayed. This was important. "Ah was talkin' ta Hank before we left fohr Remy's…" Rogue began, cringing inwardly when she saw Wanda's eyes narrow at Hank's name. She hurried on. "…and he told meh that he's been formulatin' a cure fohr ya…condition. An' he's perfectin' it an' he really thinks he has it this time—he can explain it ta ya in detail at the mansi—"

Wanda interrupted, waving her off. "I'm not interested."

"But Wanda, he's been makin' it fohr hours specifically ta help ya! He could get rid of ya disease!" Rogue settled down somewhat. "Don't ya want ta…ya know, get rid of it. Be cured?"

"I'm not interested, okay Rogue?" Her tone was more clipped this time. "Just drop it."

Rogue was honestly confused. "But why? Ya don't want ta…ta die, do ya?" Wanda looked away from Rogue at this point. Rogue worked her jaw for a few seconds before she was able to speak. "Do ya?!"

"Of course not, Rogue." Wanda replied stiffly, still not looking at the younger girl. "Look, I've already accepted it. It's done and I'm not going to mess with genetics to try to fix it."

"W-Wanda, that doesn't make sense!" Rogue sputtered, frustrated. "If ya cahn be cured, why wouldn't ya try it?!"

"I can't go through another false hope! Okay, Rogue?" And now, Wanda did turn to Rogue the anger in her eyes as they momentarily flashed red. "I maybe have a year left and I've accepted it! I won't have that time cut shorter than it already is! Not again…" Her tone softened again as she turned her head back down. "I don't want to hope again for nothing." She explained. "Hank tried before and he couldn't do it, he won't be able to do it now. I won't risk earlier death for a wishful dream."

Rogue turned her gaze away too. "Ah'm sorry." She apologized softly. "Ah jus'…Ah don't want ta see ya die Wanda."

Wanda fidgeted uncomfortably. "It's not going to change, Rogue. By the end of the year, I will be dead."

Rogue shuddered. "How cahn ya be so relaxed about it?"

"I've had a long time to get used to it." Wanda replied simply.

"Does that mean ya should be resigned ta it? Lihke it's ya fate ta die because of _his_ mistake?" She didn't need to clarify who 'his' was, they both instinctively knew.

Wanda stiffened slight at the mention of him. "Don't bring him up, please." It was a meek request. Rogue had never thought that she'd see the day when Wanda, the angry, life-abuse mutant would resign to anything. But with the matter that was most important, that concerned her very life, Wanda was willing to accept that she couldn't be cured. That she would die…Rogue wouldn't accept it, even if Wanda already had.

"Ah never thought the fight in ya would die jus' lihke that."

"I've tried, okay?" The anger started to return to Wanda's voice. "I've tried to fix it and it doesn't work. You would have me risk what little life I have left for the monster that cut off ten more years of my life already? You have no idea what he put me through, Rogue! The months I spent in his laboratory. I became his project, his specimen! Now you would have me believe that within a few short days he's concocted the cure that he couldn't for months? Excuse me for not wanting it! I'm sorry my acceptance of my fate offends you so, but it's my life! I will spend the rest of it how I please!"

"Fohr the last six years ya've pushed people away Wanda!" Rogue drew this from Wanda's memories that she had absorbed. "Ya haven't even lived the life ya were given!" One glance at Wanda told Rogue she had gone too far.

"Leave me!" Wanda's voice was so low and dangerous; the words came out as a hiss. Rogue opened her mouth to apologize, but Wanda cut her off. "Leave!"

Rogue's eyes started to water. "Wanda, Ah—"

"Fuck off, Rogue!" Rogue's lip quivered as she quickened her pace to leave Wanda alone. Wanda watched Rogue's back with fury in her eyes. Inside, she knew Rogue only meant well, but that didn't stop the loathing she was feeling for the other girl. Rogue had no right to tell Wanda what to do! She had no idea what Wanda had been through in her life. The memories that she had shared, or the ones Rogue told her about anyway, she couldn't be sure the smaller mutant wasn't hiding visions from her, were little in comparison to what Wanda had suffered through the years. And overall, what made Wanda want to strangle the words out of her mouth was the fact that, despite everything, Rogue was right. Her life had been a waste.

Wanda swallowed the lump in her throat and angrily wiped away the water that had started to collect in her eyes. Pity was a useless emotion, one that Wanda hated. It was one of the things she loved living with the guys for; they seldom, if ever, showed her pity. Pietro did, yes, because he was her brother, but John and Remy were too arrogant all the time. Remy was always busy with his girls, or flirting with her, and John just wasn't the sentimental type. Really, the group of them made quite a team. Wanda didn't know how long they'd be at Xavier's, but she already missed home. She sighed deeply, still staring at the retreating back of Rogue. Wanda grit her teeth as unpleasant memories settled over her.

There were only two people who Wanda ever had put her trust in, and both of them had betrayed her. Her father would be the ultimate death of her, and Pietro…Pietro whom she had trusted as the only other person (before Rogue) who knew all her secrets…Pietro, who was secretly speaking to said father behind her back. And then, there was Rogue. Wanda didn't know if she trusted the girl or not. Despite a rather rocky beginning, it couldn't be doubted that the girls had gained a sort of kinship. A distorted, tipsy, messed up one, but a friendship none the less. It was just…Wanda wasn't willing to put her faith in someone. She'd had too many disappointments, too much uncertainty in her life. She had lost the ability to trust others.

Wanda was mulling over these thoughts when an unexpected sting pierced her neck. Wanda let out a yelp of surprise as her hand flew up to the side of her neck. She could feel something cold and slender protruding out of her neck. A dart? Wanda was about to pull it out when the pain hit her. Somewhere in the distance a voice called out her name, but Wanda wasn't aware of it.

Wanda dropped to the ground as all strength left her body. Pain ripped through her body like a tidal wave overcoming a small island. Never before had she felt such anguish as that which tore through her body right now. Fire from within burned every nerve cell, every miniscule molecule of her being. She imagined this is what burning to death felt like, except amplified by a factor of ten. Her throat instantly went raw as she began twitching uncontrollably. The twitching escalated to spasms as Wanda lost all motor control. Her eyes rolled back in her head so that blackness engulfed her vision, but she wasn't granted the mercy of unconsciousness. Sweat poured down from her brow as she struggled to take in a breath in what felt like a sea of water. Her heart seemed to be pounding a mile a minute; it felt as if it might explode from her chest at any second. Every fiber of her being screamed in untold agony as she unsuccessfully fought to draw in air.

Far in the distance, her name was called again and hands elevated her head above her body for easier air passage. Wanda raggedly sucked in all she could before her lungs screamed in protest to the lack of oxygen and blood spilled out of her mouth. The person above her screamed for assistance while holding Wanda upright to the side so that she wouldn't choke on her own blood. Blood mixed with sweat and tears as all dripped off Wanda as if flowing in rivets. The person above faithfully hung on to her and tried vainly to soothe her anguish. Wanda's body gave one final convulsion before she fell limp.

As soon as her body went limp, Rogue froze. She carefully laid Wanda's limp frame on the grass and listened for breath. None came. Frantically, Rogue held two gloved fingers against Wanda's neck for a pulse. She waited for sixteen seconds with bated breath and started sweating as she felt nothing. She moved her gloved hand over Wanda's heart and waited another ten seconds. Still nothing. Rogue started to panic as she desperately looked around for help. She couldn't give CPR! She'd only make the situation worse by sapping away what little strength Wanda had left. "HELP! HELP MEH!"

As if by miracle, Rogue was suddenly pushed away. John knelt down in her place and began chest compressions, counting out to thirty before pinching her nose shut and breathing into her twice, with no regard of the blood that still stained her lips. He felt for a pulse and upon receiving no improvement, he quickened his pace and started round two. He felt for a pulse again and grit his teeth when he didn't feel one. Again, the chest compressions followed; everyone seemed to be holding their breath in fear and no one noticed the water droplets slide down from John's eyes to land on Wanda's still frame. After the third set, John fingered the side of her neck again and his entire frame slouched down as her released a breath of relief. Wanda's chest, although very slightly, was rising and falling again.

John wasted no time beyond that. He scooped up Wanda's limp body and ran to the waiting car. Henri was already behind the wheel. With Wanda's body splayed out and John leaning over her in the back, Bella and Remy had squished themselves into one seat in the front and Henri behind the wheel, there wasn't any more room in the car. Much as Rogue wanted to stay by Wanda's side, there was no help for it. She motioned Henri away and he sped off.

Rogue sprinted to the car, parked several blocks away and scratched the side of the car in her frantic attempt to jam the keys in. "Come on!" She willed her trembling hands to stop shaking. Finally, after what seemed ages, she managed to poke the key through the hole and twisted the lock open. Jumping into the car, Rogue revved the engine and momentarily cursed when the car didn't move. Her eyes searched the dashboard blindly before falling on the gear shift. Aggravated, Rogue yanked the car into reverse and backed up before putting it into drive. Heart fluttering and breathing heavy, Rogue sped off.

Until this point, Rogue had forgotten all her other concerns. But as she ran over the curb on the way out of the parking lot, Rogue remembered that she wasn't exactly the best driver. And nobody was with her this time. If a cop tried to pull her aside, she'd be screwed. Underage driving, without license and without escort…Rogue said a silent prayer to get to the mansion unharmed.

Long hours afterwards, Rogue would reflect and think that God had a cruel sense of humor. She made it to the mansion alright, although the otherwise unblemished car had a few scratches after the ride. Rogue started off to the basement levels of the mansion, where the med labs were when there was a shout from behind. She turned in time to receive a crowbar smash directly into her jaw. Rogue stumbled back, clutching her jaw and fell, landing harshly on her butt.

"Ki'ah?" Rogue's speech was slurred; her jaw was already swelling and she could feel the metallic taste of metal in her mouth. Her jaw slackened incredulously as her eyes landed upon her attacker. Kitty looked like hell, simply put. Her hair was in ragged tangles, hanging loosely over her face. Her clothes were ripped and her arms were bruised. She was as pale as Rogue, which was saying something as Rogue's skin almost never saw the sunlight, and her eyes were crazed. Her normally soft brown eyes held a madness in them that Rogue had never seen before on the girl. It was the same look Bobby wore on the day in the Danger Room. Rogue backed up crab-style as the feral-looking girl advanced. "K-Ki', w-whah are ya doin'?"

A deep, throaty laugh erupted from Kitty's mouth. It sounded nothing like Kitty at all; it didn't even sound feminine. Following the laugh was a low voice, one that was definitely not Kitty's. "Don't you remember me, Marie? Or maybe you remember David more? He is trapped in that mind of yours, you know. Just like all the other victims you sapped. I bet you've got a whole party up there now." Another humorless laugh followed. "You never were one to care who you hurt. It's time for payback, Marie. I'm a big believer of 'eye for an eye', you know? So don't take it personally, but just like you, we mean to murder."

Rogue shrunk back further, but her back suddenly hit the wall of the garage. Her eyes widened in fear as a smile spread across Kitty's features. "No more running Marie." With that, Kitty raised the crowbar high above her head and swung back. Rogue tried to block the strike, but she wasn't quick enough. There was a terrible _crack_ and Rogue saw no more.

**_A/N: Extremely sorry for delay: will address reviewers separately._**


	18. Alone

**Pietro's leaned back against the dirty wall, head tilted down, his gaze fixed on the shadowy figure in front of him.** His blue eyes appeared to glow in the dark. The moon was hidden behind thick gray clouds so that no light showed into the dark alleyway. Pietro's light hair ruffled in the breeze as the figure moved forward. Pietro didn't need to see his shape to recognize his voice. "My son." This was as close to concern as Erik showed Pietro.

"Magneto." The answer was curt, formal, and met with a flinch. Pietro acknowledged him with a nod, but neither man went beyond that. Erik knew he was not going too welcomed by his children, but it still hurt. It was the simple things; a polite refusal to call him father, the distance between the two, their formalities as if they were distant acquaintances…all of these tore at him, but for now, there was no help for it.

"How is she?"

Pietro ignored the twinge of jealously that tugged at him. This is how all of their conversations went. It made sense, really. Wanda was the one dying, not him, but still, Pietro couldn't help but feel a little neglected at the same time. He was, after all, playing messenger boy for Erik and it was a dangerous task, when one had a sister like Wanda. "She's the same. It grows progressively worse each time. She won't last much longer." The two gentlemen never brought up the word 'disease' or 'illness' or anything of the sort. It hurt Erik too much to know he had caused that to his daughter. Pietro was cold to Erik, yes, but he wasn't heartless. Erik didn't deserve much, but he still cared for his children and that, however little, was worth something.

"How long, do you think?" It was the same question. The span grew shorter every time.

"Four months, tops." It wasn't that it didn't hurt Pietro to say it, it was just that Pietro refused to show Erik how much it did. Because of that, he kept a cool, unaffected exterior. Inside, he burned.

"Do you think…" Erik let the words trail off as Pietro shook his head.

"No, she'll kill you on sight. You can't see her." It might be harsh, but it was true. Pietro knew Erik would not live to see the next day if he went to see Wanda. He also knew that this was exactly what Erik intended to do anyway. Pietro could understand Erik's motives, to simply behold his daughter before she died, but every time he mentioned it, Pietro grew a little colder to him. Yes, he saw it from Erik's viewpoint but…what about him? It might sound selfish, but the boy did actually miss his father. Not that he would ever admit that to anybody, but still. He wished Erik would just show a tiny bit of care towards him, just once in awhile would be fine. Hell, just once in his life beyond Wanda's disease would be great. But it wouldn't happen, and Pietro knew better than to hope.

"I want to see my daughter." Erik's voice was aged. The words were all rehearsed and already spoken. Pietro could trace the line of conversation before it happened.

"I know." Pietro's voice was devoid of emotion.

Then, Erik did something that was out of the ordinary. Something that didn't fit into their conversation's limits. "Take her to me?" It wasn't a demand, wasn't commanding or ordering; it was a request. Pietro's eyes turned towards his father's shadowy outline at this.

"What?"

"Please?" Erik was very nearly begging him. His voice sounded so meek and feeble, so much unlike the monster Pietro knew that he was.

Pietro's eyebrows scrunched inward. "No, I won't."

"Pietro—"

"I said no." Pietro interrupted, "I'm more loyal to her than to you and you know this. Why even bother asking? I would not reveal Wanda to you against her wishes."

"I could simply find her myself." Erik stated boldly, drawing back from his son.

"But you won't." Pietro replied coolly, watching his father's outline closely. "You wouldn't approach her without my consent to let you. You wouldn't even locate her against her wishes. I know you well, Magneto, don't pretend in front of me."

Erik's outline slouched against the opposite wall of the alley. Even without seeing his features, Pietro knew how defeated he looked. "I wish you wouldn't call me that."

"Every monster has a name." Pietro bit off cruelly. "You simply gave it to yourself." He could not see it, but this scarred Erik's heart. It was true.

Erik could not bear to even think of his deeds. He had pushed his family away, forced them to do all kinds of tasks when they were in his control; it was his fault his children left him and Erik knew there was no redemption for him among his family. He had injured them too badly, scarred them too deep. "How is Mystique?"

"Leaving her was probably one of your most idiotic things to do. She loathes you." Pietro shook his head in distain.

"You know I had to."

"Why? Because she loved you? Because she devoted every second of her life to you from the age of fifteen up? I really don't understand why you did it." Pietro paused. "Then again, you never had clear logic. Proof in us." Us, of course, meant Erik's offspring.

Erik swallowed thickly. "I had to. It is as you say; Mystique would do anything for me. I couldn't let Magneto continue to manipulate her."

Pietro shook his head again, his eyes narrowed. "I hate how you separate Erik and Magneto. You're the same person. As long as you stay in denial of that fact, you will continue to have your fantasies of power and justice."

"I only try to help mutant-kind." Erik argued.

"You have an interesting way of doing that." Pietro spat. It was at these times when he loathed Magneto. Didn't the old man see? His ways of persuasion didn't work. His methods of control were useless. He would get nowhere with his ridiculous ideals of superiority. Yes, Pietro agreed that mutants were superior to humans, but only in their talents and nothing else. Everybody was on an equal plane. Magneto never would understand that.

"My ideals shouldn't affect those I care about."

Pietro snickered at this. "Might have helped if you told yourself that several years ago."

Erik sighed deeply. Pietro was right, of course. His ideals had affected everybody around him; his children, his friends, his brotherhood, even Charles, the accepting, peace maker. Erik had scared away everybody in his life who had ever meant anything to him. "I'm sorry."

Pietro's jaw twitched. "You say that every time." If truth was told, those two simple words hurt Pietro more than anything. They were false, without meaning, simply flung off Erik's wicked tongue; it was just another lie.

"I mean it every time I say it."

"Actions speak louder than words." Pietro retorted coldly.

"I'm going to stop."

Pietro nearly laughed. It was humorless, really, but insanely hilarious at the same time. For Erik to even have the guts to say that. He was fuller of shit than Pietro ever imagined. "I'm not a kid anymore. You won't be able to manipulate me the way you did back then." Erik said nothing; there was nothing he could say. Pietro was completely justified. Erik had never shown him that he could trust him. "One last thing to cover." Pietro ended the silence after just a few seconds. "Mystique has been watching Wanda rather closely—too close for comfort. She might know about the blood bond." The blood bond. That was all that tied them together. "Would she hurt Wanda?"

He couldn't see it in the dark, but Erik's face had paled. "Yes."

Pietro was gone before another word could be said. Erik watched his only son race away and the knife in his heart buried deeper. He would show Pietro that he meant his words. Erik turned and left the alley the opposite way. He was finished.

--

**Every now and again, she twitched terribly.** The light twitching of her body reflected her discomfort, for it was not a merciful unconsciousness. Kitty's eyes, hard and cold, loomed over her and that humorless laugh bubbled from her lips, sending shivers down Rogue's spine. Kitty soon transformed into another person, but they stuck to the shadows, unseen, except for those cold eyes. "Rogue…" The voice whispered her name as if hissing at her, like a snake ready to strike. She shivered again and another involuntary twitch ran the length of her body.

"Rogue." The whisper was louder this time, the voice was nearer. She still couldn't see the faceless perpetrator, but she knew he wasn't far away.

"Rogue!" In a flash, the face came forward. It was one from her past, the past she had run away from. Rogue jolted awake as the imagine faded from her mind. She shook her head, quickly shutting her eyes tight against the dim light that seeped through. What had she been dreaming of? It was of utmost important, but for the life of her, she couldn't recall the nameless tormentor of her dream.

"Rogue!" It was a desperate whisper. Rogue opened her eyes again and it didn't take long for them to adjust to the dim lighting. She tried to move, but to her dismay, she found that her hands were bound to her legs behind her back. Rogue frowned and glanced around. She was in a room of some sort. There were two beds in the far corner and a girl was sitting on one of them. Her head was buried in her knees and her hair covered her face, but she seemed familiar…very familiar. Her hands were bound uncomfortably behind her back. Before Rogue could analyze the girl anymore, Rogue remembered the whisper and turned to the direction in which she had heard it.

"'Orray?" Rogue was momentarily confused as to why her jaw and head ached so badly, but her memories soon hit her and she winced, falling back against the wall.

"Shh." Bobby silenced her and nodded his head towards an adjoining room. Rogue's eyes followed his gaze. Very lightly, she could hear voices from that room. Rogue strained to hear what they were saying, but she couldn't make out anything. She turned her gaze back toward Bobby and lowered her voice.

"'ere are we?" Speaking hurt her jaw; Rogue winced at the pain that flashed through her mouth.

Bobby shrugged his shoulders. "Deserted motel? Crappy apartment? Your guess is as good as mine." He shook his head. "We have to get out of here, either way. I heard them talking a bit before—they plan to torture you and kill us both. Do you know why they hate you?"

Rogue's eyes crossed, confused. "Dey?" She asked thickly, her jaw aching. Maybe it was just the splitting headache, but Rogue wasn't catching on. "Wai' 'Orray, who's dey? An' why es Ki'ah wiff dem?" Rogue worked hard to even get the words out, but Bobby seemed to understand, despite her lack of pronunciations.

"She's not—she's being controlled." He sighed inwardly. "It's a long story…just, you know how I've been really cruel to you lately? Sleeping with Kitty and everything?"

Rogue recoiled and her back hit the wall with an audible thump. Bobby winced, but continued. "It wasn't me, Rogue. I did break up with you, yes, but shortly after you were kidnapped, my body was taken over. It was one of the new students—he's in cohorts with the other one. His name is Mopez or something, Mopez and Allen…I think. Do those names mean anything to you?" Rogue shook her head. She didn't recall even knowing a Mopez or an Allen. "They're out for our blood, I don't know why." Bobby opened his mouth to hurry on, but the girl across the room had suddenly lifted her head towards Rogue.

"There names are Taliz and Zalen." Risty's eyes were narrowed and angry, but the red lines down her face marked the streams of recent tears.

"Ris'y?" Her voice cracked. Risty was a girl Rogue had known vaguely in her past. Risty was David's next door neighbor, the girl who dated David's brother, Taliz. Taliz was brother to Zalen. They were all there… "Whah--"

Risty interrupted her before she could say anything more. "They're going to kill you because you killed him. Eye for an eye."

Rogue's heart skipped a beat and her breathing became shallow. "David's…" Rogue couldn't finish the sentence.

Risty stared her down hard. "David's dead, and you killed him."

The world around Rogue stopped. Her brain took a few seconds longer than necessary to process the information. David had…died. She had killed him. Rogue suddenly found it difficult to draw in air. Her eyes clouded and tears fell from her cheeks, but Rogue didn't even notice. The world seemed to be pulling in on her from the inside. She felt heavy and weighted, even if she wasn't bound, she wouldn't have been able to move anyway. Her eyes stared out blankly at nothing, but in her mind, she saw it all. David coming closer to her…the light feeling of jitters she received, the anticipation of her first kiss…then the pain. Voices filled her head and David fell back, his body taken by spasms. She screamed for help, clutching her head as the memories overtook her. And they took him away to the hospital…

Risty watched Rogue's reaction in surprise. The girl looked mortified. That couldn't be right. She had known, hadn't she? And even if she hadn't, she should be sneering and haughty. Instead, she looked as if she were about to puke. Her face had gone pale and her features went blank. Her companion called to her twice, but she didn't respond. She didn't even seem to hear him. Rogue…hadn't known? Risty's stomach dropped at the realization and implications that went with it. If Rogue hadn't known David had died and if her reaction displayed her true shock and horror to the revelation…she hadn't meant to hurt David at all. Risty's throat constricted. All this time, they had been seeking revenge over an accident…

Risty's thoughts turned to her companions and she swallowed thickly. Taliz had been the one to tell her about David, about what Marie had done to him. Had he lied to her? Risty's throat was hoarse when she called out to him. "Taliz." He didn't immediately respond, so she tried to clear her throat and raise her voice more. "Taliz!"

At her second call, Taliz rushed out of the adjoining room, still occupying Kitty's body, and ran to her. "What, what's wrong baby? Did they do something to you?" He cast a glare over his shoulder at Bobby and Rogue, oblivious to Rogue's condition.

Looking at him was the hardest thing Risty ever had to do. Her eyes fell on his and she held his gaze steadily. "Did Marie actually mean to kill David?" She tried to keep her voice strong, but it came out meek and feeble.

Taliz eyebrows crossed and his expression darkened. "Of course she did." His eyes flicked over to Rogue and his glare deepened. "Is she trying to trick you?" He asked, not looking at Risty or asking for her answer. Rogue's complete lack of response seemed to fuel his anger further. "She killed him with that skin of hers. Seduced him and poisoned him." Rogue's eyes suddenly seemed to focus at the sound of Taliz's raised voice. Her eyes fell on his fury-filled, hateful gaze and another tear slipped down her cheek.

Taliz gave a grim smile at the sight of her tears. "You better cry, bitch. You don't even want to know what we're going to do to you." He crossed the room and grabbed the front of her shirt, easily lifting her off the ground and slammed her against the wall. Rogue's bound hands were painfully crushed in-between the wall and her back. Her head jounced back and struck the plaster harshly. Rogue bit her lower lip against the pain that exploded through her already injured head.

Taliz raised his fist to strike the half-conscious mutant again when Risty called out. "Stop!" Taliz dropped Rogue and she crumpled to the ground in a heap, jarring her legs as they absorbed the impact of the floor. She closed her eyes and stay on her side, drowning in despair and self-loathing.

Taliz walked the distance to Risty and sat down on the bed in front of her. "Risty, baby, I'm sorry. Here," He reached behind her and untied the knot that kept her bound. When he was done, he held out his arms to her and circled her small frame in a hug. Tears fell from Risty's eyes to land softly on the bed. "It's okay Risty. This'll all be done soon."

Risty sniffed. "Can't you let the other two go?" Taliz pulled back and gave Risty a curious look. "I…I feel horrible about using them so. They were innocent in this. And-And I want to have you back-as you." Risty was rapidly thinking of reasons for Taliz to release the other two mutants. "They don't deserve the same fate that she does." To add emphasis, she glared at Rogue's crumpled form. Taliz's expression softened.

"I know how hard this has been for you Risty, but we can't just let them go. They'd run back and call the X-men on us and we'd be on the run. I won't let that happen to you."

"But-can't Zalen alter their memories?" Risty asked desperately.

"Zalen can only add memories, you know that." Taliz answered softly, wishing he could soothe Risty.

"He-he could make them believe she was killed by someone else!" Risty flung out desperately. "He could implant memories of plans for us to move elsewhere, where the X-Men won't be able to find us."

Taliz considered this for a moment. "I suppose it could be done…" He mused.

Risty pushed further. "They don't deserve to die for her murder."

Taliz nodded. "You're always thinking about others Risty, it's why I love you." Taliz gave her a smile and Risty weakly smiled back. From there, he pushed off the bed. "Alright, I'll go tell Zalen."

Zalen was none too happy about the change of plans. He argued it with Taliz, but Taliz would hear none of it. Zalen considered Taliz a stubborn fool, but he was his brother and he had ultimately traced Marie's location, so if Taliz was feeling guilty about using innocents, he'd let him release those not involved.

Rogue was still blinking away the black dots in her vision when Zalen and Taliz entered the room again. Rogue tried to sit up, but it was no use. She was stuck in her sideways position. Bobby was leaning over her, trying to rouse her, but Rogue was still only half-conscious of her surroundings. Zalen crouched down near the floor and roughly grabbed Bobby's shoulder, pulling him away from Rogue. He locked gazes with the ice-mutant and his eyes glowed red.

Bobby tried to tear his gaze away, but he couldn't. There was a pull to Zalen's gaze that wouldn't let him look away. His thoughts soon became blurred and dizzy and he fell into a deeply meditative state. From there, Zalen proceeded to add thoughts to Bobby's mind. After a few moments of this, he pulled away and Bobby fell back against the plaster wall with a dazed look in his eyes. Zalen shoved Rogue out of the way and pushed Bobby out the door of the front door. Bobby stood there for a minute, deeply confused, but then turned towards the staircase and began walking away.

Rogue watched this happen and as Bobby began to turn away, she opened her mouth to scream at him to come back. The words didn't get the chance to be spoken, as a gloved hand covered mouth and squeezed her injured jaw tightly. Rogue screamed into his hand and wriggled free, backing away from Zalen. Bobby had already disappeared down the stairs. Rogue's fearful eyes landed on Taliz and Zalen.

They paid her no attention. "Mold out." Zalen ordered. Taliz grinned and Kitty's eyes fluttered. A thick, black substance started extracting itself from Kitty. Rogue gasped audibly as the goop slithered out of Kitty's mouth and nostrils, pooling at the floor until all was out and Kitty was surrounded by a puddle of black. Unsupported, Kitty's eyes fluttered and she fell back. The goop puddle in front of her and then started reforming, shaping into a human shape. It formed features on the face and crafted perfectly a human body. Then, shimmering, the black goop appeared to harden and crusted into a person. The black being shook himself and ash-like particles fluttered off his person and there stood Taliz, flesh and bone. He cracked his neck both ways before turning to the fallen girl on the ground.

"Now to deal with her." He grinned widely, though it was not a warm smile. Zalen took his cue and knelt down next to the unconscious Kitty. He shook her twice. When she did not open her eyes, he motioned for Taliz to get some water. Taliz stalked off into the adjoining room and the sound of water could be heard gushing from the sink. Taliz came back with a small cup of icy-cold water in his hand. He knelt down in front of Kitty and splashed the liquid in her face.

Kitty sputtered and her eyes flashed open. Her gaze immediately fell on Zalen, who gripped her chin in his hand and his eyes started to glow. Kitty yelped and sunk through the floor before Zalen could spread his influence over the girl. Zalen roared furiously and shot a dark look at Taliz. "Look what you've done!"

Taliz shrugged. "She won't get far. Chase her. I'll stay here." Zalen's eyes darkened. Taliz rolled his eyes. "I won't kill her until you're back, I promise." Zalen turned and fled down the stairs. Rogue shivered as she watched him go. Kitty hadn't even seen her. She was truly alone.

--

**She looked so frail. **It was a word John never expected to use when referring to Wanda, but at the current moment, it was true. An oxygen mask was attached over her mouth and nose to keep her breathing regular. Her normally flushed cheeks were pale and devoid of color so that her auburn hair appeared to shine in stark contrast to her features. John reached out a hand and moved back a stray curl from Wanda's face. His other hand grasped her cold fingers, rubbing them in his own. "Stay with us, Wanda." His thumb traced the veins of her hand. "Stay with me."

Nothing changed, Wanda remained cold and unresponsive. From his seat, John set his head down on the edge of the table, sighing to himself. There were a number of questions racing through his head, all volleying for his thoughts. Who had shot Wanda? And with what, exactly? And why? Why now, when he was somewhat happy, did someone have to ruin his joy? Wanda didn't have much time left already, now it seemed her days were coming to a close closer than they had previously believed. It wasn't fair. John didn't know half of what Wanda had suffered through, for Wanda had never been very open about her past, but he did know that she didn't deserve this.

Hank stepped out from the neighboring medical room and John lifted his head. As soon as he saw the blue, furry mutant, he jumped to his feet. "Well?" He asked impatiently, wanting to run over to the doctor, but unwilling to release Wanda's hand to do so. "What was it?"

Hank's expression did not cheer him. "I'm afraid Wanda's been shot with a Cure dart." John opened his mouth to ask further questions, but Hank held up a hand. "I will explain. You are familiar with Wanda's condition?"

"Vaguely." He didn't know specifics of Wanda's illness, but he'd been around long enough to get the gist of it. He knew Wanda's father, Magneto, his previous employer, had concocted some sort of mutant enhancer liquid and forced Pietro and Wanda to take it. He didn't know why it hadn't affected Pietro the same way, but specifics had never really mattered all that much to him before.

"Well, I'll give you minimal background then." Hank took a second to adjust his glasses. "Wanda's injected abnormal cells were preternatural to her physique, because of this, her ordinary wholesome cells rejected the entry of the aberrant mutated cells. She's a walking anomaly, it's quite amazing she lasted through initial injection of the-" Hank seemed to realize he was going off on a tangent. He shook his head and returned back to the facts. "In any case, Wanda's aboriginal cells are in constant quarry with her abnormal cells."

John blinked. "What the hell? Talk to me in English, would you? I'm American, not Scientifican."

Hank rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He thought he had explained it quite simply. "Well, basically…" He chose the simplest words he could manage, trying to relate it to something John would understand. "Wanda's original cells are in constant battle with her injected mutated ones." He glanced at John to make sure he was following. "And her human cells have been winning the battle, gradually taking over the mutated cells. When this happens, it will eventually kill her."

John shook his head. "So? What's all this have to do with Wanda being shot with a Cure bullet? Why did she react like that?"

"I'm getting there." Hank explained. "When the Cure dart hit Wanda, it triggered an override in her human genes. The mutant genes were always fighting, you see, but when the cure was injected into her bloodstream, it disabled the mutant genes. Thus, Wanda's body rejected the sudden substance and override of normal genes, which had nothing to fight against all at once, and her body initially rebuked her, if you will. Now that Wanda's mutant genes are disabled, her normal, healthy cells are traveling through her bloodstream and destroying them while they're down. Should they succeed in killing off all the abnormal cells, or even just enough of them, Wanda will die."

John's teeth clenched. "How long does she have?"

"If her body does optimal job at fighting off the human cells, at very best…I can't see her lasting more than 72 hours."

"Three days? That's it?" John shut his eyes against the news and sat back down, burying his face in his hands. "And there's nothing you can do?" It wasn't fair. John hadn't known Wanda for very long. In fact, it would almost be a year from the day he first met her, but that didn't mean he didn't care about her. Sure, they'd only started dating that night, but it was more than that.

For a year, Remy, Pietro, Wanda and John had all lived together. It was the closest thing to a family John had ever had. Each member of the unit was different in their own ways. Pietro played protector over Wanda, as he was truly her blood relative. Wanda was always cold and moody back then. Remy was the smartass, only encouraged by Wanda's rejections. And John was a little mix of each. He was cold at times, yes, but he was also energetic (just not to the extremes that Remy was), and overall, he loved his family. So even if Wanda and him had only dated one night, he cared for her much more than that. It might not be understood by an outsider, but it made sense to him, and that was enough.

"Well actually…" John's head shot up.

"What? You can help her?"

Beast fiddled with his chart. "I've been working on a cure for her, yes...but I still have quite a bit to go with it." He hurried on. "And there's no guarantee that it would work either, but…"

"But nothing!" John jumped up from his position. "What're you doing talking to me? Get to work!"

"Of course, my dear boy!" He scurried out of the room and John watched his back for a few seconds before sitting down again and turning back to Wanda.

John squeezed her hand affectionately. "Just hold on okay? We need you, Wanda."

_**A/N: Thanks for the encouragement guys. Again, individually I will address you.**_


	19. Misinterpretations

**Mystique's smile was twisted and cruel. **She casually entered the medical bay, wanting to inspect the damage herself. Of course, that imbecile John was perched on the edge of his seat, holding Wanda's hand, slightly drifting off into sleep. "Remy's looking for you."

John's head swam up in surprise and he shook himself once to clear the sleep from his system. "What for?"

"If I knew, he wouldn't have to see you, would he?"

John shook his head and stood up, releasing Wanda's hand gently back onto the table. "Someone's PMSing." He muttered lowly as he passed. Mystique ignored him and waited until John left to begin her analyzing.

Wanda was unnaturally pale, though some of that might have been from the bright, florescent lighting. Mystique fingered Wanda's neck until she located the small pinprick wound from the dart. Her smile widened when her beady eyes fell upon the empty dart that lay on a cart beside Wanda's bed. Her eyes followed up to a screen that gave small beeps occasionally, showing that Wanda was still living. Her status levels were poor and weak; her body resistance was feeble. Mystique's mouth played a small smile: that would be Erik's fault, no doubt. Wanda's degenerating condition must have withered away her defense over time. It was perfect; Wanda's disease would be the death of her.

Hank strolled in to get a vial of something, noticed Mystique and blanched. "Why—hello Raven." He greeted, recovering himself. "What brings you down here?"

"I heard about Wanda's attack." Her tone betrayed nothing.

Hank bowed his head respectfully. "Ah, yes. A most unfortunate incident." He frowned. "I didn't know you knew Wanda?"

"I've met her on several occasions while working for Erik."

Hank nodded. "Of course, how silly of me."

"Well, what do you think?" Mystique asked directly. "How bad is it?"

"Horribly so, I'm afraid." Hank scratched his chin wonderingly. "The degenerative condition of Wanda's genes has amplified itself. Her cells are eating away at a quick pace."

"Will you be able to cure her?" Mystique asked, curious for reasons besides Wanda's good health.

At this, Hank removed his glasses and started cleaning them on his fur, showing his nervousness. "I don't know. Her chances aren't good." That was all Mystique needed to hear.

"Well, you should be working then."

Hank frowned at her brisk rudeness, but dismissed it and left with the vial to continue his work. Mystique's eyes flashed.

--

**Remy frowned. **Rogue should have been home by now. Remy had been waiting outside the medical bay room, giving John some space of his own and waiting for Rogue. It had nearly been four hours now and still she hadn't shown up at all. Even if she had crashed the car and needed to walk home, she should have been there by now. Remy finally shook his head and followed the hallway back up to the ground floor. He would have expected Rogue to come straight to the medical bay, but maybe she had been delayed somewhere else?

Not yet on high alert, Remy decided to check the garage to see if the car had shown up. If it was, then Remy could at least be assured that Rogue was somewhere in the mansion.

There was hardly anyone up at this time of night, so the halls were relatively empty. _Maybe she just went to sleep._ Remy mused. It wasn't such an outlandish thought. After all, it was three o'clock in the morning and there wouldn't be anything Rogue could do in the med lab.

If it were someone else, Remy would have abandoned the search and assumed that must have been it. But he actually wanted to find Rogue and he didn't think she'd simply go to sleep. Rogue would be the type of person to stay awake long hours in the medical bay just for company benefit of the patient. He couldn't really picture her simply going to bed without even checking in.

Remy reached the door to the garage and stepped into the darkness. His eyes instantly adjusted to his dark surroundings, but Remy's hand reached out for the switch anyway. A flick of the wrist and a dim light flickered on in the garage, lighting up the parking-lot space with its shallow glow. Remy wandered into the garage and looked down the row of cars.

A mischievous grin lit his face as he located the car Rogue had been driving. The sleek car was parked crooked and nearly bumping into the black car that stood next to it. The wheels were curved at an odd angle, as if she had tried to straighten the car as an afterthought, but didn't quite succeed in the task. There were a few scratches across the paint job that Remy knew hadn't been there previously. "Dat Roguey." Remy shook his head. "Someone's gunna need t' teach dat _fille _t' drive."

After the initial realization that Rogue was home, Remy frowned. Had she just gone to bed? He could have been wrong about predicting her motives, but Remy didn't think so. His instincts were still telling him there was piece of the puzzle missing. Curiously, Remy drew nearer to the car until he was directly in front of it. He analyzed it, even went as far as to walking behind the car to check the back end, but still could find nothing wrong. "Hmm." Remy mused to himself. _Maybe Remy's jus' overt'inkin' dis? Or maybe Rogue's jus' befuddlin' dis Cajun._

Ready to chalk it up to that, Remy proceeded back to the front of the car on his way out before his eyes landed on a suspicious spot on the wall opposite him. Squinting, Remy walked the ten feet across the way to see what the spot was. His throat constricted as he moved forward. It was a dark red splotch, with little speckles across the wall. Remy gloveless fingers stretched out and dragged across the splotch on the wall. He didn't need to feel the sticky residue to know what it was: blood. From there, Remy dropped to his hands and knees and glanced under the cars to his left. Nothing. To the right: Aha! Remy extended his hand and pulled out the weapon he'd found. When the crowbar was lifted from under the shadows of the car, Remy found what he was looking for and he was not at all pleased to discover he'd been right. The same substance that stained the wall also coated the top edge of the crowbar.

From the feel of the blood, he could tell that it hadn't been long since the attack. The blood was slightly crusted, meaning the attacker was probably out of the vicinity, but it wasn't altogether dry, which hinted that Rogue had to have been attacked within the last three hours. Blood congealed at the third hour and since that hadn't happened yet, Remy knew that it had to have been quite recent.

Remy's long years of training took over. His demonic eyes scanned the far wall to his left and he counted out seventeen car keys, with one empty hook. From that, he counted the cars and bikes in the garage and came up with only sixteen. One was missing, and judging from the late hour, Remy didn't expect it to be any of the inhabitants of the school.

Alarmed now, Remy raced out of the garage, still holding the crowbar as evidence. He was on his way to the med lab to alert John, but he was intercepted on the way there. Just stepping out of the elevator, Storm nearly collided into the Cajun as he raced down the hall. "Remy, what are you doing?" Remy skidded to a halt.

"Stormy! Roguey's been kidnapped!"

"That's not funny Remy." Ororo gave him a serious stare.

"Remy wish he were kiddin' wit' y'!" Ororo seemed to notice the crowbar in Remy's grip and she gasped audibly.

"Goddess! What happened?"

"Don' know, jus' found dis in de garage wit' Rogue gone."

"Give me that." Remy handed her the crowbar. "I'm going to see if Logan can trace her." With that, Ororo took off down the corridor in search of Logan. Remy sprinted down the opposite way to the medical bay to find John. He hadn't gone far, however, when John appeared in the hallway in front of him.

"Johnny! Rogue's been kidnapped!"

John glared at Remy. "Don't make jokes like that Remy."

"Why does everybody dink Remy lies?" Remy pulled on John's arm. "Remy don' joke 'bout stuff like dis."

"She's seriously gone?"

"_Oui,_ y' _hommes_ lucky de Gambit ain't a softie, ot'rwise he migh' be offended by y' disbelief in him!"

"Good thing you don't have feelings then." John shook his head. "Let's go, we have to find Rogue."

Before either of them could move beyond that, another body joined the hallway and collided into them both, throwing all three persons to the ground. Pietro was on his feet again before anyone could blink, staring down at them. "Where is she?"

"That's what we'd like to know." John stated wryly.

Pietro's jaw tightened. "What does that mean?"

"De _fille _is missin'."

"What?" Pietro exploded. "How the hell did you lose her? She's in danger! Mystique's trying to kill her to get revenge!"

John blanched. "What? What does Mystique have against her? You must be mistaken, I just saw Mystique in the medical bay."

Remy turned his head in agreement with John. "_Oui_, she couldn' have done it, _hommie._"

"Well, what happened?" Pietro asked impatiently, still unsure and feeling that Mystique was somewhat guilty. "How is she missing?"

"Looks like she's been 'napped." Remy shook his head. "Struck down in de garage. Dat girl is always gettin' in trouble. Dangerous _fille,_ it's why she's so attractive. Remy would like t' be her savior."

"Hey!" Pietro protested.

"That sheik outfit you gave her did make her look hot." John admitted.

"HEY!" Pietro exploded. "What the hell?!"

Remy nudged him, grinning. "_Homme,_ y' have t' admit, dat outfit was sexy. Emphasizin' her every curve, _heh? _Even y' were starin'."

Pietro punched Remy in the jaw. Remy didn't have time to dodge out of the way in time. "If you EVER talk about Wanda like that again—"

"Whoa, _homme!_" Remy blocked his next punch. "Remy was talkin' bout Roguey, not Wanda!"

Pietro stopped his assault. "What?"

John stepped up to Remy's defense. "Chill, man. He's referring to Rogue." Remy was rubbing his chin with a somewhat pouting face.

"Rogue's been kidnapped _again_?" Remy nodded, gingerly tapping his chin. "Jesus, that's her third time this month. Damn girl has the worst luck I've ever seen." Pietro seemed to relax somewhat, but only a few seconds after his frame grew slack, he stood ridged again. "Where's Wanda, then?" John and Remy exchanged nervous glances. "What is it?" He barked impatiently.

"Wanda was attacked." John's throat tightened as he spoke. "She…she doesn't have much time left."Pietro's face sapped of all color. John proceeded to tell him what had happened and relayed all that Hank had told him. When they had told him everything, Pietro was as pale as his slicked back hair. Without saying anything further, he hurried past them to the medical bay.

After a moment of silence, Remy sighed. "Rogue needs savin'."

John bowed his head lowly. "Yeah, let's go." The two mutants set off to search for the beloved southern belle, hoping against hope that they wouldn't be faced with more heartbreak.

--

**Kitty's legs nearly collapsed as they absorbed the impact from the fall above. **As soon as Kitty's feet were steady on the solid ground, she took off.By the time she reached the other side of the room, she could already hear pounding footsteps thundering down the stairs. Kitty phased through the wall and kept running, glancing back over her shoulder at the door to the deserted motel. She was a good 200 yards away when the door opened and someone stumbled out. The sight of the person spurred Kitty onward, despite her screaming lungs and raw throat. Her legs were already starting to feel rubbery. Kitty could sprint, yes, but not for a very long period of time.

The distant person located her shadowy form and charged after her. Kitty turned her head back to the ground in front of—just in time to collide into another body. With her momentum against her, Kitty struck the body full blast and capitulated over, landing flat on her back. Pain spiked through her spine and Kitty groaned, trying to roll onto her side.

The other person grabbed her hand and hoisted her back to her feet. "Kitty?" A familiar, chilling voice asked. Kitty's wide eyes fell on Bobby. "What're you doing here?"

Kitty's eyes roamed over Bobby's shoulders to the quickly approaching figure. He was close enough now to make out his features and Kitty saw that it was Zalen. Without any further delay, Kitty turned and bolted.

Her heart thumped heavily in her chest, her hair whipped back in the wind. Kitty's body ached terribly; every new footfall was a stab of pain through her system. Her thighs were rejecting her entirely, but still she pushed on. She couldn't afford to be caught; she was terrified of what Zalen would do to her. Her body was wearing out quickly, Kitty didn't know how much longer she'd be able to hang on. Then, Kitty stepped on her already hurt ankle in a funny way and her legs gave way. Kitty collapsed in a heap.

He was upon her in seconds. Zalen reached out and grabbed her arm, and Kitty instinctively phased out of his grasp. "Bitch, hold still!" Zalen reached for her again, but when he grabbed her shoulder, Kitty once again phased out of his grip. Abandoning the effort of holding her, Zalen jumped to Kitty's other side and looked into her face. His eyes flashed red.

"No!" Kitty wheezed, shutting her eyes tight against his powers and fish-flopping the other direction. "Leave me alone!" Her hands flew up to her pounding head and she cowered, phasing herself entirely except the small portion of her body that laid against the ground. That way, when Zalen attempted to kick her, his foot went right through her.

"Arg!" Zalen, frustrated, once again tried futilely to drive his foot down on her head. His boot hit nothing until it struck the ground. "You little—" Zalen's words were cut off as another body hit him full on, tackling him to the ground.

"Don't you dare hit her again!" Above him, the frightening sight of Bobby, completely iced over, loomed into vision. Bobby hauled back his fist and struck Zalen across the face. Zalen appeared to pass out from the hit. Bobby rolled off his defeated opponent and crawled over to Kitty's side.

"Kitty."

"Leave me alone!" Kitty cried, silent tears dripping down her face.

"Kitty, it's me. Bobby. Come on."

Kitty froze at the sound of Bobby's warm voice. Slowly, she turned around and her wide eyes filled with terror. "B-Bobby, p-please." She began scooting back from him in fear.

"Kitty, it's me!" Bobby swallowed. "Taliz isn't controlling me anymore. I'm not going to hurt you." He looked down at his words, ashamed of what his hands had done to Kitty. The abuse he had put her through, the rape…

For a few seconds, Kitty's heavy breathing was his only response. Bobby started to move forward and Kitty jerked back. "Hey, hey…I'm just trying to help." Bobby generated some ice and put it down in front of Kitty. "Use that."

Slowly, Kitty inched forward and took the ice off the ground. She took one piece and held it to her head while putting another piece in her mouth, trying to moisten her burning throat. Bobby sat across from her, watching. He sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry Kitty. I tried to stop him, but I wasn't strong enough. I'm sorry for letting you get hurt." He lay back on the grass, staring out at the distant stars. "I can't believe we've come to this." A tear escaped one eye, but Bobby paid it no heed and didn't move to wipe it away. "The mansions a mess, the Professor, Scott, and Jean are all dead and now Rogue's gone too..."

Kitty's eyes moistened. "Rogue's dead?"

Bobby nodded solemnly, not trusting himself to look at the other mutant. "That Zalen and Taliz killed her. They should be off to England by now. I'm sure the school's gunna go after them, but that doesn't bring her back, ya know…"

Kitty's back stiffened. "B-Bobby, that's Zalen."

"What?" Bobby asked, confused.

Groaning, Kitty pushed herself to a sitting position and pointed over to the area that Zalen had lain unconscious—except, he wasn't there anymore. Kitty swallowed. "Where'd he go?" Bobby sat up too and looked around, but he wasn't anywhere in sight. "W-Why would be come after us if they already killed her?"

Bobby frowned. "Come after you, you mean."

"What?"

"That guy passed me up as he was chasing you. He came upon me, looked me straight in the eye, and just kept going after you. He was after you."

"But why?" Kitty asked, shivering. "I didn't even know they had killed Rogue."

Bobby's eyes hardened. "Maybe they didn't."

"What do you mean?" Kitty asked, lost.

Bobby shook his head. "Kitty, what was he trying to do to you before I attacked him?"

"I don't know." Kitty shivered. "When he looked at me with those eyes…It felt like he was invading my private space, invading me."

Something clicked in Bobby's brain. "We don't even know his mutation, do we?"

"I thought he was some kind of memory-alterer." Kitty didn't realize the implications of what she had said until after the words were out of her mouth. "Oh my God!"

"Rogue!" They both yelled simultaneously. Bobby jumped to his feet. Kitty tried to stand, but collapsed again. Bobby went over to her and supported her.

"Go." Kitty waved him on. "Rogue needs you."

"I can't just leave you here." Bobby protested. Kitty squirmed in his arms, uncomfortable. She knew it hadn't been truly Bobby who hurt her, but they had used Bobby to do so and she could still remember his rough touch. The way he'd—Kitty closed her eyes and Bobby seemed to realize what was wrong. Gently, he placed her back down on the ground and took a step back.

Kitty nodded in the direction of the motel. "Go."

"Kitty…"

"I'll be fine! Rogue could be dying! Go!"

With one last regretful glance back, Bobby set off for the abandoned motel.

--

**"Baby, don't worry about it. **She's just trying to fool you; come on, don't fall into her trap. Don't worry, I'm here for you. I won't let her influence you." The words were false. Risty knew what she had seen and the girl's display had been no trick. Even now, as Risty glanced over, she saw that Marie had fallen back into the absent staring trend, probably drowning in thoughts. When she didn't respond, Taliz engulfed her in a hug. Tears sprung to Risty's eyes, it wasn't right. Taliz started moving his hand comfortingly up and down her back and Risty couldn't help but feel slightly reassured in his strong, warm arms. This was how it was supposed to be. Safe and comforted in his tight embrace. Risty leaned into him more and he responded by clinging to her tighter. If only she could stay here forever…

Risty drew back suddenly, shaking off the tingling feeling that raced through her body. Taliz gave her a look of confusion and Risty's eyes watered more. "Taliz…"

Taliz sighed deeply and sat down on the bed, bringing her down next to him. "Risty, I know you believe in seeing the good in people, but there's no good in her. She purposely poisoned David and sapped him of all his strength. She deserves it, Risty. We've come all this way, don't back out on me now. I need you." His hand rested on her shoulder and he pulled her towards him. When she was right next to him, he began rubbing her shoulder. Risty leaned into his shoulder and rest her head against him. "There, there baby." He soothed her, kissing the top of her head. "It'll be alright, okay? I promise."

Risty closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his body over hers, his hand running through her hair...she soaked it in for a full two minutes, losing herself to the comfort of his warmth. But then Taliz shifted positions and Risty snapped out of her reverie. Once again, she pulled away from Taliz and his calming influence over her and faced him. "Taliz, I don't even think she can control her mutation. I don't think she did it on purpose. Look at her."

Indeed, Rogue was a sad sight. Ghostly white, she sat staring forward, apparently oblivious. She didn't seem aware of anything. Her eyes were large and haunted, unshed tears gathering behind her eyes. Her whole body was trembling; she looked so meek and feeble, it didn't seem as if she could do any harm, let alone kill someone.

"Risty…"

"Taliz please!"

Taliz shook his head stubbornly, but stood up and squatted down in front of Rogue. If she noticed the movement at all, no recognition showed in her eyes. She remained in her frozen state. Taliz frowned and snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Hey, bitch girl. Wake up." When he still received no reaction, he slapped her across the face.

Rogue recoiled as if she had been burned. Her voice, which was meant to be a shout, came out as a feeble squeak. "Don't touch meh!" As best she could, she inched away from Taliz, her watery gaze on him now.

"See! She can't control it!"

Taliz rolled his eyes. "She's obviously making it up, Risty." His manner was the same, but his words lacked the conviction they possessed before.

"Taliz, don't be stubborn!" Risty begged. "I know you see that she didn't do it on purpose!"

Taliz tone suddenly went harsh. "What would you have me do, Risty? We've been hunting her down for months now! Whether she meant to or not, she still killed David and she deserves to die for it!" His eyes flashed in anger. "I won't just give up simply because it was an accident!"

"Your quest for vengeance is ruining you, Taliz! It's taken over your life; all you care about is avenging David's death! He was your best friend, I know, but there's more to life than living for the dead!" Taliz, angered, sprang to his feet and swung wildly. His fist landed against Risty's eye and the force of the punch threw her back. Risty's head hit the bed board and she fell to the floor. Taliz froze, staring down at Risty as if not believing what he'd just done. Slowly, Risty's hand went up to her eye and she gingerly touched around the already-forming bruise. Her fingers came away sticky with blood from a cut that had opened up over her eye. Risty's eyes went from her blood stained fingers to Taliz and tears fell from her eyes.

"Risty…" Risty scrambled to her feet and bolted for the door. Taliz made to follow her. "Risty!" The door to the bathroom slammed shut in his face. Sobbing could be heard from the other side of the door. "Risty." Taliz turned his back to the door and sunk down to a sitting position, burying his face in his hands.

Just beyond the door, Risty had collapsed to the floor in tears. Taliz had _never_ struck her before. Yes, he did have some unconventional anger problems and he had done other things to her in forms of punishment, but he'd never hit her. Risty was at a loss. She loved Taliz, she did, he had been her childhood companion, she'd grown up with him and had grown to love him in that time. But that Taliz was a different man, he was an angerless boy, her love. After David's death, Taliz had become bitter. Risty had tried to ignore it, but she saw how Taliz was changing. Still, she had stayed with him because she loved him, hoping that he would return to his carefree self once his revenge business was settled. But vengeance would bring him nothing.

Risty shivered. She might have been able to prevent Taliz from turning cold, or, if not, at least slow the process. But Zalen was always at his side, urging Taliz on. Zalen had been particularly fond of David, for the two had been brothers and were inseparable. It was deeper than Taliz and David's relationship, for blood binds more than any other kind of friendship. With the constant urging of Zalen's revenge, Taliz had grown cold.

Risty was at a loss. She didn't know what to do. There was no easy way out. Either she would leave Taliz, the boy she had desperately fallen in love with since eighth grade and be alone or she would stay with him and chance that he stayed in this vengeful, unhappy mood for the rest of her days. She lost whichever she chose. Lost in thought, Risty lay sprawled against the floor, crying out her sorrows with no solution.

--

**"How the hell are we supposed to find her?** This is looking for a needle in the haystack—except we don't even know which haystack the needle might be in!"

Remy grunted. "Y' metaphors are magical, Johnny, really, but not helpin' de mood."

John huffed, lying back against his seat. "I still think we should just ask Logan to sniff her out."

"Stormy's already doin' dat." Remy explained patiently. "When she finds Logan." He added. "So y' want t' wait fo' Stormy t' track down de surroundin' bars till she finds him, o' y' want t' look now?"

"Whatever." John gave up miserably. "I just…I don't want anything else to happen to our group."

Remy sighed. "Remy knows what y' mean, _mon ami._ I don' want de family any more broken dan y' do." Besides Remy's sudden switch to first person, John knew that Remy understood what he meant when he mentioned their family unit.

John turned back to the road and his eye caught sight of something at the side of the road. "What's what?" He asked curiously.

Remy squinted towards the direction he was pointing. "Dat's a _fille_." He replied after a moment.

John stared for a few more seconds before he recognized the form. "Remy, that's Kitty! Pull over!" Remy pulled off to the side of the road and John hopped out of the car.

John walked the short distance to where Kitty was doing some odd kind of maneuver with her arms. When his shadow fell upon her, Kitty blinked and looked upwards. "John?" Her eyes widened in fear. She looked around John to see another unfamiliar man waiting in the car. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was one of the mansion's cars. So John was stealing from them again! Kitty knew he had been freed from captivity with the help of some others. It appeared he had come back to steal from them again! "Don't come any closer!" She warned.

"Or you'll do what? Phase me to death?" John rolled his eyes. "What're you doing here?"

Kitty tried to remain tough. "None of your business! Leave me be!" She continued the odd hand maneuvers and John realized she was trying to pull herself along.

"Are you hurt?"

"What would you care?" Kitty spat resentfully. "Go with your brotherhood buddies and do whatever vandalism you're planning."

John shook his head. "I haven't been with the brotherhood for over a year now—besides the fact that they've broken apart."

"Just leave me be!" Kitty yelled, frustrated.

"Want to tell me how you broke your ankle and ended up crawling out here alone?" John asked, ignoring her.

"As a matter of fact, I don't!" Kitty struggled to back away from him.

"Need some help?" John offered.

"Not from you, I don't!"

"You're a stubborn brat, you know that? What're you gunna do, crawl back to the mansion? Here-" John bent over and hoisted Kitty into his arms, child style. Kitty shrieked and phased through his arms, landing on the ground with a thump and a squeak. Tears popped into her eyes as she tenderly touched her ankle. "That was unnecessary." John lifted an eyebrow at her. "Are you done yet?"

"No!" Kitty objected stubbornly. "Why should I trust you? Especially because you recently kidnapped Rogue and are now stealing one of the mansion's cars?"

"Sometimes, Kitty, you're an idiot." John bent over again and scooped Kitty into his arms. She fidgeted uncomfortably, but didn't phase out again. "We're staying with the X-men, if you haven't heard. And right now, we're looking for Rogue. Damn girl has gotten herself into trouble once again."

Kitty's head turned at mention of this. "You're looking for Rogue?" Her eyes held hope, but she quickly tried to hide it. "What for?"

"To rescue her."

Kitty only hesitated for a second. All this time, John could have attacked her or done anything else if he wanted to. She had to trust that he was telling the truth. "I know where she is."

"Excellent, 'cause we're clueless." John carefully laid her in the backseat of the car. "Lead the way, Kitty cat."


	20. Last Moments

**It was a long time before anyone spoke again.** When the silence was broken, it was Taliz who spoke, addressing the girl across the room from him. "So what happened?"

Rogue's frantic eyes fell on Taliz. The fear was evident in her gaze, but Taliz did not look away. He expected an answer from her. "W-Whah?"

Taliz's tone wasn't demanding, only questioning. "What really happened the day…you know…" he trailed off. "Tell me everything."

Rogue swallowed the lump in her throat. Reliving the moments her mutation had first come to her was the last thing she wanted to do, especially now that she knew David had died from her cursed touch. But not obeying Taliz would be an even stupider idea, as proved by his recent display of violence to Risty. For now, he seemed somewhat resigned. It was best that he stay in that mood. Still, it was not easy for Rogue. "David an' Ah-" A stab of pain spiked through her chest at mere mention of his name. Rogue kept her gaze straight forward, unable to look Taliz in the eye. "We were in mah room when I' 'appened." Rogue's jaw ached terribly with every word, but the memories hurt her more than the physical pain. "We were jus' h'alking on mah bed when he wen'a kiss meh." Rogue nearly choked on the next words. "Ah didn' know whah was happenin', Ah suddenly had allah his doughts an' memories an'-an' his strength-everyt'ang jus' jumped inta meh an' then he-" Rogue buried her face in her legs, unable to continue. David had died from her-she had killed him! She was a murderess.

Thankfully, Taliz must have had some compassion in his heart. He didn't ask her to continue with the story. He could assume the rest. But his curiosity had been sparked. After giving Marie a few minutes to gather herself, he asked another question. "All of him went into you?" He mused over this. "Like, David's in you? Even now?"

Rogue meekly nodded her head, still with her face buried in her knees.

Taliz rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What does David think of all this?"

"Ah-Ah don' know." Rogue answered truthfully, raising her head slightly, but turned in the opposite direction so that Taliz wouldn't see her cry. "Ah haven' called upon his psyche since it 'appened."

Taliz's eyes drilled into her. "Wait! You can call him up? Do you mean you could bring up David's essence? Like…could I…talk? To him?" Rogue shuddered, still turned away. "You can!" Taliz stood and walked over to Rogue. Rogue flinched back as his shadow fell over her. Taliz squatted in front of her and held out his hand, gently lifting her chin with his finger so that her tear-stained gaze fell on him. "Please Marie?"

Rogue winced and fell back as far as she could from his grasp. He wasn't demanding, he was asking…pleading, rather. Rogue closed her eyes, trying in vain to get away from her current situation. She had never purposely tried to draw out a psyche before. Yes, she had communicated with her psyches, but past initial absorption, she never purposely called one forth. Even if she could manage to let David's psyche temporarily take over, she didn't want to. What if David was resentful to her and chose to stay in control of her body and mind? It wasn't just fear for herself that held Rogue back, but fear of what else could happen if she tried to pull out one psyche. What if they all came out? What if she couldn't get control back? Unconsciously, by hiding her past and burying all thoughts of the south, she had buried David and all memories of the South deep in her subconscious. She did not want to go retrieve them and re-open that sore wound.

At her silence, Taliz sighed and stepped away, turning his back to her. Rogue's heart sunk. Tightly clamping her eyes shut, she receded back into the far recesses of her mind. "David?" the words weren't spoken aloud, but in her mind. She was calling out to him. "David, are ya here?" Her voice was small and timid, barely escaping through her lips. Rogue cleared her throat a little more and raised her voice. "David?"

"Marie." Rogue's psychic projection of herself jumped and she nearly went back to her own body at the sound of his voice. Slowly turning, she caught a glimpse of the boy she had liked so long ago. His fluffy hair was just as she remembered it. His light smile was unchanged, happy and carefree. He walked over to her and his movements caught her eye, making her stare at the way his muscular arms swayed with his sturdy walk. He came within touching distance and reached out his hand. Rogue would have recoiled, but she was frozen to the spot, crying, even in her mind.

David's outstretched arm touched her face gently and brushed away her tears. He gave her a sad smile that didn't quite reach his light eyes. "Ah nevah blamed ya, Marie, and Ah still don'." His accent was thicker than her northern-tamed one and it brought back more memories of the South she missed so much. His arms wrapped around her shaking frame and pulled her into a comforting hug. Rogue could feel the heat of his chest through his shirt and hear his heart thumping. "It's goin' ta be alrigh'. Everythin's gunna be okay, Marie."

After holding her for a minute, David pulled back and looked her in the eye. "Cahn Ah talk ta Taliz? Ah won't, if ya don't want meh to." Rogue's lower lip trembled. "Ah won' hurt yah Marie, Ah promise."

Rogue shut her eyes and laid her head against his chest. "Okay."

David gave her a reassuring smile that she felt, rather than saw, and then he was gone. Rogue huddled on the floor of her own mind, watching through her eyes as David controlled her motions.

"Taliz." Taliz turned back towards Marie. Her tone had changed. It was deeper, thicker, more male. Did that mean…?

"David?" Taliz asked, almost daring not to hope. "Is that you?"

"Taliz, yah have ta stop. Ah know yah better than anyone, but right now, Ah have no idea what yah've been thinkin'. How could yah do this?" David glanced at himself, emphasizing Rogue's bruises and cuts, her beaten form. Being bound, he couldn't gesture or stand, but the point was conveyed. "How could yah even think this's what Ah wouldah wanted?"

"I thought she killed you! I thought she meant to do it, David! Oh shit, man…"

David shook his head sadly. "The deeds not done yet. Yah still have time ta redeem yahself. Protect mah girl, okay? Ah'm not in a position ta do that anymore, so Ah'm trustin' yah. Keep her safe, alrigh'?"

Taliz nodded. "Yeah, I promise man. I-"

David stopped him. "That's all Ah gotta hear. Ah have ta go now Taliz."

"But…" Taliz was at a loss for words. What do you say in parting to a friend who's actually dead already? "I miss you, David." David gave him a sad smile, the same one he'd given to Rogue.

"We'll see each other again. Ah'm jus' waitin' fohr yah. So keep yah nose clean, huh?" With that said, Rogue's eyes rolled up into the back of her head as David left control of her body. She tilted precariously in her balled up position, but it wasn't enough to make her body sway to the floor.

In her mind, David reappeared next to her and grinned at her the way he used to back home. "Don' worry Marie, ya've got more people lookin' out fohr yah than yah think." Around her, faded reflections of the people she absorbed started to appear. Logan, Remy, Wanda, John, Bobby, Peter, even Erik was there.

"Were all behind ya, _chere_." Remy winked at her.

"An' we ain't gunna leave ya alone, darlin'." Logan drawled, smiling warmly at her.

"You've got a lot to live for, child." Erik encouraged her.

John spoke up. "And we all care about you, Rogue."

"Better get going, you're being missed." Bobby nudged her.

Rogue stared at all of them in awe, feeling as if her heart were about to burst. Wanda held out a hand and helped her to her feet. "Go on, Rogue. We'll be watching, we're with you, Rogue.

David gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "And Ah'm sure Ah'm watchin' from above too. Yah've got protectors all over, lookin' out fohr yah."

Remy was at her side, suddenly, and his hand grasped hers tightly. "See y' on de other side, Roguey."

With that, Rogue blinked and found herself unbound, on the bed of the motel room. Taliz was knocking at the bathroom door. "Come on Risty, we're going back."

The door creaked open and Risty's lower lip trembled as she gazed out at Taliz, trying to judge him. Taliz tried to smile reassuringly for her. "It's over, Risty. Let's go home."

Risty opened the door enough to come out and Taliz held out his arms. "I'm sorry Risty. Never again, I promise."

Sniffling, Risty melted into his arms and he held her securely, kissing the top of her head. After a moment, they mutually fell apart and Taliz held out his hand for her, which she took in silence. Taliz glanced over to Marie and gave her the best smile he could manage. "Come on, Marie."

Rogue had just clamored off the bed and started towards the door when it burst open of its own volition. Behind it stood a sweating and frustrated Zalen. Zalen took one look into the room, saw Rogue unbound and jumped at her. Rogue was so shocked at his sudden appearance that she didn't register his presence quick enough. With his weight thrown on top of her, Rogue fell face first to the ground and bashed her head harshly against the hardwood flooring.

Taliz dropped Risty's hand and dashed forward. "Zalen, no!"

There was murder in Zalen's eyes as he looked up from pinning Rogue's arms at her sides. "She's manipulated you too! You've fallen under her spell, Taliz!" Holding Rogue's hands together behind her back with only one hand, Zalen reached out and pushed Taliz's shoulder while simultaneously kicking him in the knee. Taliz crashed to the ground and Risty squeaked, running to his side. "We need to go! That girl got away, no doubt she's calling in help." Zalen reached into his back pocket and pulled out a long pocket knife. He held the sharp blade up to Rogue's throat. "If I sense you trying to do anything or even if you struggle, I will kill you immediately. Got it?" He didn't wait for an answer, but rather, pulled Rogue back up to a standing position and kept the blade at her throat.

The door behind Zalen burst open again and hit Zalen in the back, throwing him forward. The knife was torn to the side, cutting into Rogue's shoulder as Zalen fell ontop of her, once again pinning her to the ground. In the doorway stood Bobby Drake, completely iced over as Iceman. Not only that, but Bobby had found a thick, sturdy walking staff on his way over and iced it over completely so it appeared the Iceman had an ice staff as well. He looked very heroic, standing in the doorway. Bobby immediately spotted Rogue under Zalen and raised his staff to strike Zalen's exposed back. Zalen was quick though and by the time the staff came down to hit him, he had already rolled over to the side and was in a crouched, fighting position. Bobby stopped just in time to prevent the staff from hitting Rogue.

He was put on the defense as Zalen, still tightly clutching the knife, swung wildly in a wide arc. The edge of Bobby's ice staff caught the blow and several ice shards went flying, turning his staff into a spear. Zalen attacked again, throwing himself at Bobby and it was all Bobby could do to hold the staff up to block the next blow. This time, the knife didn't cut through the staff, but sent a jarring vibration through Zalen. Frustrated, Zalen grabbed the middle of the staff with both hands and dropped the knife, trying to yank the offensive weapon from Bobby's hands.

While the two boys fought over the spear-ended staff, Taliz was dragging Rogue to the other end of the room to avoid the conflict. He sat her against the far wall and told Risty to watch her before turning back to the fight.

With an inhumane shout, Zalen kicked Bobby in the stomach and gained possession of the ice spear. At the same moment, he turned and saw Taliz dragging Rogue away to safety. To see his friend assuring the safety of his brother's killer opened up an animalistic rage in Zalen's heart. Heaving back, Zalen thrust the spear towards Taliz's back with as much strength as he had.

Taliz had just turned to help stop the battle when the icy weapon landed. It struck his soft chest and pierced the skin, sinking deep into his soft organs and lodging into his heart. Taliz eyes had just enough time to see Zalen's malicious, hateful expression before his legs gave out.

A horrible, gut wrenching scream was ripped from Risty's throat as she flew to the side of her beloved. "TALIZ!" She crumpled to her knees at his side, eyes wide in incredulous disbelief. Taliz gaze fell upon Risty at his side and he reached out a trembling hand for her. Risty clutched his shaking hand and Taliz pulled her close to him. Their mouths met in a desperate, passionate, loving kiss before Taliz pulled back slightly, winded and sucking in air heavily.

"Risty…" His voice was soft and cracked; the last of his energy was fading him. His heart was giving up. "…thank you." It was softer than a whisper. Taliz gave her a brave smile. "You always were…too good for me."

Risty shook her head violently, her hands started to shake in his. "No, no Taliz. I love you! Please!"

Taliz gave her a brave smile. "And I…" It was an effort just to speak, but he wouldn't give up until it was said. "I love you, too, Risty." His hand went limp in her own. Risty burst into tears and clung to his body, hugging him close and refusing to let go.

"No! No! Taliz, no! We're supposed to go to Jersey together and have a family! No-o." Her voice cracked and she sat, sobbing into Taliz's cold shoulder, clinging to his body, refusing to let go.

Meanwhile, Bobby stood back up and dove for the knife at Zalen's feet, but Zalen was too quick. He swiped up the blade and drove it into Bobby's shoulder as Bobby dived for it. Bobby's ice took most of the blow, but the blade cut slightly into his skin and stuck in his armor. Taliz kicked Bobby's legs out from under him and the icy mutant crashed to the ground.

Zalen took his chance and ran across the room. He picked up Rogue's beaten body, despite her futile struggles, and shoved her to the nearby window. Tucking his head into her shoulder, Zalen charged them both out through the glass. It shattered under their combined weight and both were suddenly freefalling from the two-story window. Rogue screamed and wildly flung her arms out, but was hindered from grabbing anything by Zalen's mass above her. In that second, Rogue realized she had completely neglected one very important aspect that could help her. Only a second after the realization hit, Rogue's fingers twitched instinctively and a weak red shield flickered to life below both her and Zalen.

Then, they struck. It was a good thing Rogue remembered her 'barrowed' mutation in that last second, because it would have been instant death of her otherwise. Even so, the crash was not comfortable and hurt like hell. Instead of falling onto soft, cushiony grass, they hit down hard on the roof of a car.

The feeble shield Rogue had managed to produce stopped initial snapping of her spine as it bent down into their fall and the roof gave way under the pressure. Glass tinkled, metal crushed, and Zalen's body struck down on top of hers, cushioned by her body. But poor Rogue was not a willing safety and Zalen's weight on top of hers; thrust down from such a height was a painful encounter with the laws of gravity.

Zalen's mass primarily fell upon her stomach and as he hit there was a terrible cracking sound as her ribs broke under his weight. Her shoulder scraped down against a sharp metal edge on the way through the roof and left deep, bloody scratches. Rogue's head had jounced back on impact, and although her last-second shield bent to lighten the shock, it was still a jarring hit that sent stars through her vision. Rogue moaned as fire scorched through her body; she was having trouble breathing. Blood trickled out the side of her mouth as she fought to draw in another breath. It felt like something had punctured her lungs.

After the initial jolt, Zalen, being entirely cushioned in his fall and receiving only a few scratches from sharp car parts, was the first to recover. Even as Rogue heard voices call her name as if from a distance, she wouldn't have been able to answer if she tried. Zalen's upper half peered out of the hole on top of the ruined car. As it was, it appeared to Zalen as if he were surrounded. Three separate people crowded around the car, about to jump him. Judging that the odds were not in his favor, Zalen grabbed up Rogue's limp, helpless form and held her in front of him like a shield. "Don't move or she's dead." The three mutants froze. Rogue's head lolled forward, so spent was she that she could not even hold her head up. One hand supporting her around her stomach (which sent more fire racing through her body, almost causing Rogue to black out) and one arm wrapped around her neck, Zalen stood in a position of power on that ruined car. More blood dribbled out of the side of her mouth, dripping down her chin in an unpleasant fashion.

_Mah lungs must be punctured. _It occurred to Rogue. She was still having immense difficulty breathing and she could taste the blood from her throat. That explained both problems. And then, a further thought occurred to her. _Ah'm going ta die._ It was the most depressing thought she'd ever had. After surviving all the way through her first and second kidnappings, then nearly to the end of her third, this is how she was going to go. Rogue didn't have the strength to struggle or call upon Wanda's powers. Her energy was sapped to the bone; the act of breathing alone was causing dark spots to blossom in front of her vision. She couldn't resist at all. Rogue forced her eyes to focus enough to look up at her friends one last time.

Kitty was standing stock still, staring at Rogue in abject horror. _Ah forgive ya._ Rogue thought to herself. And it was true. Kitty, despite everything, was her friend, her roommate. She wouldn't hold anything against her in her death's hour. Rogue's eyes roamed over to John who stood frozen behind Kitty, his features holding worry and sorrow, his fingers twitching. _Ya always were someone Ah could depend on John. Ah'm glad ya came back ta us. Thank ya...fohr coming back fohr meh. _She couldn't voice the words that she wanted to say, but just thinking them was enough. At least she got to see her friends before she died. That ought to be more than she deserved. Rogue's eyes rolled slightly until they fell upon Remy. _Remy._ The smallest twitch of her lips indicated the effort of a smile. Remy was frozen to the spot, eyes transfixed on Rogue's trembling form. His expression held nothing short of an utterly lost child, a wistful longing to save her shone forth through his eyes. _It's okay Remy._ Rogue silently parted him. _Ah think…Ah think Ah've fallen fohr ya, Cajun. Ah jus' wish Ah coulda been more… more brave 'bout it…But it's alrigh', we had some good times Remy. Ah'm gunna miss ya._

Above her, Zalen was saying something. She couldn't concentrate enough to make out the words. Everything was going fuzzy. Her eyes started to blur over again and Rogue was having a hard time fighting off the darkness while trying to breathe at the same time. Her vision was steadily growing dimmer as the last vestiges of Rogue's strength left her. Helpless against the darkness, Rogue tried to smile as she addressed one of her psyches. _Guess Ah'll be seein' ya pretty soon, David._

Oblivious to Rogue's silent last goodbyes, a nasty plan was forming in Zalen's mind. He knew that Rogue wouldn't last long as a hostage; he was surprised she was still alive thus far. He had seen something red flicker below her before impact, but it was obvious that it hadn't been enough to save her. Even if Rogue did live, it would be very difficult to escape with her in tow.

Zalen tried to focus on what the doctors had said so long ago when David had been dying. "Absorbed. Emptied. Emotionless. Drained." All had been words used to describe his condition. Zalen knew that Rogue's mutant ability was activated through her sense of touch. He also knew, through Taliz's skillful hacking, all about the incident that had occurred on Liberty Island two years ago. Rogue had unwillingly absorbed that metal-crazy mutant (his name escaped Zalen at the moment) and nearly been killed. She went through a lot of therapy after that, calming the 'voices' in her head. Did Rogue absorb the person she touched? Their essence?

It was a long shot, but Zalen didn't have a lot of options. Even if Rogue lasted the next few hours, which, judging from her leaning increased weight against him, was unlikely, it would be even more far fetched to assume he could escape. And even if he could, the X-Men would surely hunt him down. Rogue was well liked. Zalen knew that Rogue despised her ability, that much he had learned from the kids at the mansion, and that she desperately wanted control to stop absorbing others. So why not go out with a bang? It would surely hurt her as well.

Remy's hand moved towards his pocket, but Zalen had already decided. "Hey!" He called. "Don't move!" Zalen lowered his head and bit the end of his glove, tearing the material off with his teeth. With a menacing smile, Zalen wrapped his bare hand around Rogue's throat. For a breathtaking instant, nothing happened and Zalen was slightly disappointed to see that she must already have died. But after those few seconds, Zalen started to feel a tug.

It was as if someone were sapping him dry of everything he was. Zalen couldn't stop the scream of pain that was torn from his throat, but he also didn't miss the whimper Marie made and he felt the wetness on her cheeks. So, despite the anguish that Rogue's touch was bringing him, he held on tight.

Rogue had just lost every last vestige of strength when she felt the cold, wet flesh against the side of her face. Alarmed, Rogue tried to brush off the offending appendage, but she was still too weak. An all too familiar sensation crawled over her as the hand tightened around her throat. She could feel renewed energy, stolen energy begin to pour into her body, rekindling her dying strength. Along with this energy came alien thoughts and desires, memories and experiences. Hatred poured into Rogue and she was unable to stop the connection or reject the raw emotion. Rogue felt an intense, burning desire to hurt herself, cut, burn, anything that she could to harm herself. She hated herself; desired nothing more than her own demise.

Rogue couldn't breathe. The hand around her neck was efficiently cutting off what little air she had been able to draw in. As the connection continued longer, Rogue felt the hand around her throat losing its strength. As energy poured into Rogue, she gave a jolt and the hand fell away from her throat as Zalen fell backwards, unconscious. Without his support in holding her up, Rogue collapsed.

The expected impact against the ruined car never happened. Before she hit the ground, arms extended outwards and clutched her under her arms, grabbing her in a hug. Rogue's eyes lazily glanced behind her to see that John had actually pulled Zalen off of her. In front of her, Remy clutched her in his secure arms. Rogue's arms wrapped around his reassuring frame as her tears and blood stained his thin t-shirt. Remy held her for a time; Rogue couldn't have told you how long she stayed in his embrace, but she never wanted it to end. Every haggard breath was filled with his scent; the warm overflow of spices overwhelmed her senses and brought about a sort of calm.

After holding her, Remy reached down and scooped her up into his arms, cradling her. He carefully stepped out of the ruined car, making sure that she didn't hit anything on the way out. Rogue relaxed into his arms and laid back her head, nuzzled into his shoulder, closing her eyes. Remy shook her gently. "_Chere, _keep dose pretty emeralds visible huh? Y' worry Remy."

Rogue murmured something that made Remy's heart skip a beat. "Ah deserve ta die…Ah'm scum." She rolled slightly in his arms. Remy knew the comment came straight from that dirtbag Zalen, but it still scarred him to hear out of Rogue's lips.

Remy shook her a little more. "Come on, Roguey. We didn' make it this far t' lose y'."

Rogue's eyes remained shut and she sagged a little further in Remy's arms. Remy started to panic. "No, Rogue! I won' let y' give up!" Rogue was completely unresponsive, the trickle of blood out of her mouth slowed as her breathing came more and more gradual. Remy did the only thing he could think of. He bent over and pressed Rogue's lips firmly to his own and breathed into her, desperately trying to keep her going. He quickly withdrew and watched Rogue for a response.

Rouge stirred at the touch and her eyes creaked open. "Ah'm tired Remy."

"Don' go closin' dose eyes _chere_." He gave her a half-forced, lopsided smile that warmed her insides. "Remember, Remy has…persuasive methods."

The edges of Rogue's mouth turned upward as she fought to recall the memory amongst the confusion in her mind. She was too tired to separate Zalen and her thoughts, but…the process seemed to be taking care of itself. Her memories were becoming more obvious by the second. "Ya bettah not be thinkin'a takin' advantage'a meh, Swamp Rat."

"Who, _moi?_ _Chere, _Remy never does nothin' without consent o' de _fille_."

Kitty appeared above Rogue and tentatively held her hand out above Rogue's head. "Is she—" she stepped back when she saw Rogue's eyes were open. "she's alive?"

"Kitty, reach in Remy's pocket an' grab de cell phone. Call Stormy an' get her over here." Rogue blinked again and her eyes started to drift shut again. Even with Zalen's strength, her body wouldn't hold on for long if she had internal bleeding. "An' tell her t' step on it."


	21. Control

"**Remember Wanda?"** Pietro gave a shallow laugh. It echoed throughout the deserted infirmity, mocking him through the silence. "John had been all angry about it. Then Remy started flirting again and you pinned him against the wall with duck tape. You left him there for hours…" Pietro's fingers rubbed Wanda's cold hand. Pietro's smile faded as he returned his gaze to Wanda. "Tell me you remember it, Wanda. Please…"

Nothing changed. Wanda remained completely still and unresponsive. Pietro swallowed thickly and rest his head on the edge of Wanda's examination table. "I'm not ready yet Wanda. It wasn't supposed to happen so soon…you can't leave me. You promised, remember? You said 'Pietro, I'm not dead yet so shut the hell up. I've still got a lot of time; months left. Don't bring it up again.'" Pietro gave a sad smile, still resting his head against the side of the table and not looking at Wanda. "You were always so bad tempered, you know? Never could do anything about that. You grew up with it…" Pietro breathed in deeply, struggling to find the words for his unconscious sister. "I suppose you can't really expect anything else…"

Pietro lifted his head and gazed down at Wanda's pale features. "You know…after we ran away from him, I really got to thinking about it. All those things he forced us to do…" He shook his head softly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I saw him after that Wanda. The truth is…it sounds horribly petty and stupid right now, now that I think about it, but I still want to say it. 'Cause I won't if your awake, we both know I'm too proud to admit these things…but the truth is, Wanda, I was jealous of you. He always gave you the attention, you know? For good reason, I understand, and I wasn't ever resentful to you for it…but after all those missions we did for him, all the stuff we sacrificed, he always appraised you. Did you ever notice that? I know, I know, it was his sick, twisted way of making up for everything else…probably was just another manipulation tool for him. I can see it; he'd appraise you and then use you the way he did…but, you know…I just wanted him to say that to me, just once, you know? I'm sorry for being horribly selfish about that. It's the reason I went to see him after we swore to kill him on sight…I just wanted that appraisal, even a 'thanks' would have sufficed…"

Pietro shook his head softly. "I didn't honestly think he changed. He still hasn't. I just wanted…I don't know what I wanted, for you to be jealous of me, maybe? I'm not sure. So I'm sorry for meeting with him behind your back, I really am Wanda. I know how that must have hurt when I told you about it in New Orleans…I'm sorry."

Pietro gave an exhausted sigh and sat back in the chair. "Maybe…I know you'd hate me for saying this, but maybe that blue furball can help. I mean, what's left to lose, you know?" Pietro shut his eyes in aggravation. "Yeah, I know, what's the use of hope, right? It only bites you in the ass. Hope is for those do-gooders, not for people like us. I'm sorry I even mentioned it. It's stupid, I know." Pietro gritted his teeth. "You know, just once, I wish we could catch a break. Know what I mean? I mean, you especially deserve one Wanda. After all that you've been put through…you would think a person would get a certain share of bad luck, but that's not true at all. It just wears me thin, you know? All of this…this life…it just wears me thin." Pietro's grip tightened on Wanda's hand. "It's not fair. Life sucks. It really pisses me off, you know Wanda? It's just so-so cruel. Whatever God is listening up there, fuck you!"

"Fuck…that hurts…" Pietro dropped Wanda's hand and jumped back. Wanda's hand fell limply to the side.

"Wanda?! Are you awake?" Pietro rushed back to her side and lifted her hand onto the table.

"No…I'm responding in my sleep." Wanda replied wearily. Her eyes creaked open very slightly, but she instantly shut them again. "Ugh, what the hell…"

"Is it too bright?" Pietro rushed around the room until he found the light switch and flicked it off. He was back at her bedside in half a second. The only light in the room came from the adjoining lab and the monitor above Wanda's bed. "Are you alright? How do you feel?"

"Is this stupid question day or what?" Wanda groaned, trying to adjust her eyes to the dark. "I can't move."

"That's probably the sedatives the hairball gave you." Pietro explained. "It'll wear off in awhile."

"Not unless you take this stupid IV out." Pietro took it out so quickly that Wanda didn't even feel the needle leave her body. "What happened?"

Pietro looked sick. "Someone shot you with a Cure bullet."

Wanda's skin paled even further in the dim light. "What?"

Pietro gripped her hand again, gentler this time. "I…I have to explain it to you." He swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. "The Cure bullet originally just shuts down your X-gene temporarily you know…but in your case…"

"Shit." Wanda didn't need to have it explained to her; she knew what that meant.

Pietro sighed. "Yeah. Your cells are taking advantage of the situation and…"

"How long?" Wanda asked shortly.

Pietro hesitated. "The furball said…three days, max."

Wanda closed her eyes again. "And how long have I been unconscious?"

"About thirty six hours." Pietro winced. Wanda only had a day and a half left, tops.

"Great. So I have a day left?" The careless way she announced it hurt Pietro. He knew she expected death to come early, but did she have to be so nonchalant about it? It was tearing Pietro up. "Help me up Pietro, I'm not spending my last day in an emergency room."

"Right, of course." Pietro picked up his sister and leaned her against his shoulder, throwing one arm under her shoulder to support her and placing her arm around his. Slowly, he stood, supporting Wanda's weight.

"Okay, I got it." Wanda dropped her arm from around his shoulder and put her own weight onto her legs—her legs collapsed under the pressure and she crumpled to the floor. Pietro was quick enough to catch her before she hit the hard surface and he brought her back up to their previous position. "What the hell?" Wanda muttered darkly. "I can't even support myself…"

The lights flicked on around them and Wanda squinted as Hank rushed into the room. "Oh! Oh!" He exclaimed, bouncing over to them. "Don't try to stand! Don't try to move! It'll only stress your body more! Your cells are already fighting a battle, by putting effort into walking or doing any activity you'll only tax them further!"

Wanda glared at the beast coldly. "I'm not staying here."

"You'll die quicker if you stress your body into motion!" Hank protested.

"What, as opposed to twenty four hours I'll only get twelve? Who cares? I'm not dying in a medical room." Wanda turned to Pietro. "Get me out of here."

Pietro scooped Wanda into his arms and was almost out of the room when Hank's words hit him. "I'm almost done with the serum! You don't have to die Wanda!" Pietro skidded to a halt. Wanda's eyes narrowed at her brother.

"I am NOT taking anything he creates."

"But Wanda—" Pietro began.

Wanda cut him off. "No, forget it." Pietro opened his mouth to protest again, but Wanda spoke quicker. "Pietro, I'm not dead yet so shut the hell up." Pietro's jaw remained dropped as he stared at Wanda. "Yes, I was awake. If you care about me as much as you claim, or if you ever want me to forgive you, you'll get me out of here." Pietro cast one last regretful look over his shoulder at Hank. Before the Beast could even open his mouth to protest, the two Maximoff siblings were gone.

--

**Bobby fell back from Zalen's attack and hit the ground hard. **Before he could even attempt to move, Zalen darted across the room, shoved Rogue forward and together, they smashed through the window. There was no mistaking the resounding crash that echoed back. For the first time in his life, Bobby knew what it felt like to be cold.

Frozen in place, Bobby could do nothing but sit there for a long time. When he finally drew up the courage to move, Bobby's eyes fell on the knife protruding from his ice armor. He melted down his armor and found it had nuzzled only slightly into his shoulder. With a shudder, Bobby removed the blade and placed it on the floor.

His eyes landed next on Risty. The girl had stopped crying, whether it was because she had run out of tears or had worn herself out, Bobby didn't know. Now she sat, still clinging to Taliz's dead body, rocking herself gently. Bobby approached cautiously, hesitating before putting his hand on Risty's shoulder. Risty shuddered at the sudden cold, but still clung to her dead lover. Gently, Bobby pulled her away from Taliz cold frame. Risty was reluctant to pull away from him, but eventually fell back, empty eyes still staring at Taliz. Bobby didn't have words for her that would ease the pain; he couldn't undo time and stop the event from happening, just as much as he couldn't stop the death from happening. Instead of trying to say anything, he just held her as she stared at Taliz's body.

After a long time of this, Risty closed her eyes and turned away, unable to continue staring at the gruesome scene. Bobby flexed his arm around the scene and turned Risty to him with his other arm. He didn't know the girl, but he knew she had been innocent in this event. Bobby hugged her tightly to his body, feeling that it was what she would need. Risty didn't return the gesture, but she did lean against him and lie her head down against his chest. "Why?" She sniffled, not looking at him.

Bobby didn't have answers for her. Risty hadn't expected an answer. "It's not fair." She whimpered softly.

Bobby shook his head. "No. No, it's not." Bobby gave her another moment, then gently. "Come on." He turned towards the door, bringing her with him. "We should go."

"We can't leave him!" Risty objected, almost turning back to the scene before turning her head away again.

"The X-Men will give him a proper burial, don't worry. We just have to get to them."

"I-" Risty shivered violently. "I don't want to leave him alone."

"Would you like me to go?" Bobby offered gently.

"Would you?" Risty asked pleadingly.

Bobby nodded. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He promised. With that, Bobby went to the broken window and created an ice slide, sliding down on his feet. At the bottom, he found an unmoving Zalen lying languidly near the car wreck. Bobby shuddered and hurried past. Now that he was past the car wreck, he could see people off to the side of the road. Kitty was trying on a cell phone talking to somebody, John was standing, leaning over next to Remy and Remy was holding—holding Rogue?!

Bobby slid to a stop besides them. "What happened?" He asked, glancing back at the car wreck. It was obvious something had fallen directly onto the car roof, as that was the area bent inward.

Remy looked distraught. His hair was disheveled, his face was ashen. He held on to Rogue as if hugging her for his last time. He didn't even glare at Bobby when he saw him. "We don' have any way t' get back t' de mansion." His eyes fell upon the top of Rogue's head. "She won' last that long."

"What's wrong?" Bobby asked, alarmed.

"Punctured lung—it must have happened when her ribs snapped." John explained; his hand was tightly gripping Rogue's. Bobby could see Rogue's hand shaking. She was breathing in heavily again, her eyes were fluttering as she struggled to keep them open.

"Remy—" The single word was an effort. Rogue struggled at speaking. Her face scrunched with pain and effort. "Ah-Ah can't feel mah-mah legs."

Remy dropped low to the ground with Rogue and gently placed her on the grass. He slid up her pant legs, revealing blue skin on her legs. He started rubbing her legs with his unique fingerless gloves, trying to provide heat to her numbing legs. "Do y' feel dat, Roguey?"

Rogue's eyes shut for a long moment. "No."

"What's happening?" Bobby asked.

"De oxygen is not circulatin' drough her system." Rogue's eyes were shut again. Remy snapped his fingers in front of her face and nudged her. "Come on Roguey, none o' dat. Y' a survivor, y' goin' t' make it. Keep Remy updated with de numbness, okay?" Remy's jaw was set; methodically, he continued rubbing Rogue's legs. "If de un-oxygenated blood cells reach her heart…"

Tears came to Rogue's eyes. "Ah don'…wanna die."

"Roguey, save y' strength. Y' gunna get drough dis." Remy's face was pained. He couldn't assure her any of this.

"What can we do?" John asked impatiently, squeezing Rogue's hand tighter.

"Keep her warm, _homme_; pray? Take y' pick, Remy don' exactly know…"

"Wait." Bobby's fingers twitched. "I think I have an idea!"

"What?" John asked. He already had started a small fire and kept it close, trying futilely to bring the feeling back to Rogue's legs.

"You said she punctured her lungs right? Well, just for now, can't I ice over the wound? A temporary bandage until we get to the mansion and Logan can fix her."

Remy shook his head. "Her bleedin' is internal. How are y' supposed t' bandage de inside o' her?"

Bobby's eyes were filling with hope now as he glanced over at Kitty. "Kitty can phase us both."

"How would you bandage her lung? The ice could hurt her." John's voice was filled with concern, it was clear he didn't see the plan as potentially working. "Wouldn't it freeze her lung?"

"Not if I only freeze over a little bandage part."

"Mah stomach…" Rogue groaned, placing her hand against her midsection. "Ah can't…"

"Try it!" Remy commanded, moving his hands up to her stomach in an attempt to keep her numb body warm.

"But Remy—"

Remy silenced John with a look. "She'll be dead in a minute; it's our las' chance."

Bobby had already fetched Kitty and told her to phase him. If possible, Kitty looked even more pale than Rogue. Her hands shook as she grasped Bobby's shoulder tightly.

Bobby's jaw was tightly set, but his hands remained still. "Okay Rogue, brace yourself." With that said, Bobby lowered his head to her chest and phased through her skin. Kitty winced on Rogue's behalf as Rogue stared upwards in wide-eyed wonder, trying to imagine herself in a different place.

It didn't take Bobby long to find the problem. Several of Rogue's ribs had broken with her crash. One of them had wedged far up into her chest cavity, penetrating the right lung. It stuck out of the lung at a sideways angle, evenly falling up and down with her breathing.

Bobby shook his head in wonder. It all made sense now! Rogue had been able to survive this long with a punctured lung because all of the oxygen was not escaping. By lodging into her lung, the rib had perhaps saved Rogue's life by conserving some of the precious little oxygen that was being distributed to her lungs.

However, the broken ribs had also caused damage to Rogue's internal functions. Acting quickly, Bobby pulled the rib out of Rogue's lung. Even inside her body, Bobby heard her whimper and squeak of pain, followed by Remy's quick words of comfort. Ignoring it and focusing solely on the task at hand, Bobby gently touched her lung. Gathering the water molecules around him that existed in Rogue's body, Bobby formed a small ice patch and gently molded it against Rogue's lung, covering the wound and fitting it slightly around the sides so that the ice worked as a sort of glue, keeping the patch in place. Rogue gasped again and the lung gently filled with air. To Bobby's delight, it stayed inflated mostly, even as she exhaled. The bandage was working!

Only giving himself a second to celebrate, Bobby moved down to her broken ribs. He winced. Three of them were broken; two had come off in big, clean slices, but the last one was in worse shape, shattered into at least ten different pieces. Carefully, Bobby picked up the two in-tact ribs and worked into icing them in place. After placing them and holding them with one hand, he melded the ribs back in place by sealing the cracks on the side with ice. After that was done, Bobby collected up the shattered pieces of her last rib and retreated from the insides of Rogue's midriff.

Remy was holding Rogue's head elevated off the ground in his lap. Kitty was tightly shutting her eyes, clinging to his shoulder with a death grip and unaware that he had just come back. John looked at Bobby expectantly. "Well?"

"Help me piece this back together." John scooted over to Bobby and his eyebrows scrunched.

"What is that?" John asked, apprehensive about touching the unknown substance.

"One of her ribs." Bobby explained simply.

Rogue closed her eyes with a pained expression. "Ah'm gunna be sick."

Remy ran his fingers through her hair. "It's okay Roguey, de worst is over, _heh?_" He looked up at Bobby. "Right?"

Bobby smiled gallantly, unable to hide his pride and happiness. "Yeah, it worked. I closed off her lung injury. You're gunna be alright, Rogue!"

Rogue slumped down into Remy at these words. Kitty opened her eyes, saw what Bobby and John were doing, and quickly shut them again. Remy sighed deeply in relief. "See, _chere,_ what did Remy tell y'? Y' can' leave us dat easily."

Rogue was already unconscious, slouched in Remy's lap. She had finally succumbed to the nagging desire, and now, it didn't worry Remy because her life was no longer in immediate danger.

Bobby and John continued playing puzzle-maker with the pieces of Rogue's ribs. "It'll take awhile for the oxygenated blood to get back to the rest of her body. She shouldn't stand or anything for awhile."

"Remy don' dink she's in danger o' dat." He gestured to her unconscious form.

Bobby smiled richly. It all was going to be okay after all. John paused in his work and looked up at Bobby apprehensively, hesitating. "Hey Bobby…"

"Yeah?" Bobby asked, also looking up from Rogue's rib.

"…Thanks."

The word meant so much more than a simple 'thanks'. Bobby grinned wolfishly and held out his arm in front of his chest. John took his hand and clasped it tightly. Bobby pulled John closer and gave him a one-armed hug.

John pulled back quickly. "hey! I'm not gay, cut that out!"

The comment did nothing to alter Bobby's mood. He smiled grandly and returned to his work, alight with a glow that radiated from him. John shook his head and glanced at Remy who winked at him.

"Y' attract all kinds, Johnny."

John elbowed him in the stomach. "Shut up, Retro."

"Remy dink y' insults need a little work."

"Hey, it's done!" Bobby announced, producing an iced-together, whole limb. "One more time Kitty."

Kitty gripped Bobby's shoulder again and Bobby inserted the rib into place. When he came back out, he was grinning madly. "Well that's done."

"What happened to Taliz and Risty?" Kitty asked suddenly, remembering the bound girl and her abusive captor.

Bobby winced. "She needs some space. Wait for the X-Men before we get her." He told them all of what had transpired upstairs. After the long explanation, he sighed. "I don't know what happened, but Taliz tried to help in the end. Zalen ran him through with the spear." Bobby swallowed thickly. "Kitty, can I talk to you…alone?"

Kitty shut her eyes. She knew this was coming sometime. It had to. Nodding, she allowed herself to be led off from the others. When they were significantly far enough away, Bobby turned Kitty to face him. "Kitty, I-"

"I know it wasn't you." Kitty trembled slightly, biting down hard on her lower lip. "I just…I'm going to need some time to…"

"I completely understand." Bobby assured her. "I'll give you all the space you need, Kitty. I just want to be your friend, Kitty. Nothing more." Kitty's eyes watered. Bobby turned his head down. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop him…"

"It-It's not your fault." Kitty faltered, memories of Bobby silencing her protests. His hands reaching for her…touching her…grabbing her…Kitty shut her eyes and shook her head, trying to get the images out of her mind.

"Why didn't you tell anyone about it, Kitty? It could have…stopped him."

Kitty shivered violently. "I have…I have t-to tell you something."

Bobby frowned, concerned. He didn't move forward to touch her though, for fear of scaring her. "What's wrong Kitty?" Kitty bit down on her lower lip so hard it started to bleed. "Kitty, don't do that! You're hurting yourself!"

Kitty seemed oblivious. "Bobby…I…" She trailed off, swallowing thickly. "I…"

"It's okay Kitty, you don't have to tell me."

"No, I do!" Kitty shut her eyes. "I-I killed somebody Bobby." Now that she had said it, Kitty rushed on. "It was an accident-when I was driving, the kid, he showed up from nowhere—That's why I didn't tell anybody about what Taliz was doing and always went along with it. He said he'd tell if I didn't. I wanted to say something so badly, but he was always telling me about going to jail and the consequences and I was just so scared that—"

The sound of a clearing voice interrupted Kitty's monologue. Blearily, through her tears, Kitty could make out the form of Risty, the girl she had confessed to earlier. "I'm sorry, I overheard and—" Risty rushed on, aware of Bobby opening his mouth to speak. "Kitty you didn't kill anybody."

Kitty faltered and more tears fell. "W-What?"

"It was an illusion." Risty explained. "Zalen implanted memories of you killing a kid, but it never really happened. It was just a ploy so that they could use you." Kitty's jaw worked effortlessly, trying to find words that did not come. Risty swallowed. "I'm sorry…for what they did to you. Especially Taliz…" Without another word, Risty turned around and walked over to the unconscious form of Zalen. She began dragging him away from the wrecked car, over to the group of mutants.

"Let's get back then, Kitty." Kitty nodded. The two mutants turned and retreated back to the group, separated, but bound in a slowly rejuvenating friendship.

--

_**Rogue opened her eyes and blinked in confusion. **_She turned her head, but still, nothing greeted her eyes. She pulled herself up from the ground into a sitting position and looked down…it was just as dark as her surroundings; no trace of a ground met her vision. Rogue was surrounded on all sides by long stretches of black emptiness. No matter which way she turned, darkness was only there to greet her eyes.

Rogue held up her hand in front of her face. To her relief, she could make out the shape of her palm and the dark outline of her glove covering her hand.

"Hello?" Rogue called out experimentally. Nobody answered her call; her voice didn't even echo in the stillness. Where was she? And how had she landed herself there? Where was everybody? Rogue didn't know any place that was entirely black, except perhaps the inside of a box, but even that had creases and besides, she could easily see her hand, which hinted against being contained anywhere.

Rogue went through her memories to try to determine where she was. She had been injured very badly, but Bobby had saved her, right? He had temporarily fixed her injured lung and ribs…A terrible thought struck Rogue. What if he hadn't managed to completely fix the problem, what if she was…dead?

Rogue recoiled at the thought. Before she had any more time to think on it, a voice rang out through the darkness. "The thought might repel you momentarily, but when I'm through with you, you're going to wish it were true."

Rogue spun around, turning her head in every direction, trying to find the source of the voice. It was one she recognized, but for the moment, she couldn't place who it was. Her thoughts evaded her, dancing in front of her, just out of reach. Whoever it was, Rogue knew it wasn't a friendly voice. This voice intended to do her harm. The voice continued, sending chills down her spine. "Your friends' intellect surprised me. I did not think they would be intelligent enough to save you." The voice paused. "No matter, though. I actually prefer it this way. More time for us to become…aquatinted."

"Who are ya?" Rogue called out, though she had a sneaky suspicion already that she knew exactly who it was. "Where have ya taken meh?"

A cold, humorless laugh followed her questions. "You do not even know where you are? I'm appalled, and yet, not surprised by your utter stupidity. Did you not even notice that you feel none of the pains which your body should have inflicted? That alone, I would have wagered, would give it away."

Rogue shut her eyes and thought hard. Bobby had healed her…and then…and then…had she fallen unconscious? "Getting closer." The voice taunted, somehow knowing her thoughts. "Come on now; think…you've been here before."

It suddenly occurred to Rogue and she shook her head, mentally cussing that it had not come to her before. "Ah'm in my subconscious!" she announced.

The voice chuckled again and the sound of applauding could be heard. "So the brainless moron has hope."

Rogue kept her eyes shut, trying to think. "But…if Ah really am in mah subconscious…where's everybody else?"

"They were rather difficult to get away from, especially as I entered your mind. Even though you made no effort to distinguish between my mind and yours, they quickly set to that task for you. And I'm glad—otherwise, I may not have been able to fully separate myself from your mind and my plans would have all went to waste."

"What did you do to them?" Rogue tried to concentrate on them. If she was in her subconscious, she could bring them up by thinking hard enough, right?

"I wouldn't count on them appearing any time soon." The voice took on a satisfactory, dark tone as it once again read her thoughts. "They're somewhat busy trying to destroy each other. It was pathetically simple, really. I only had to alter Logan's thoughts before chaos ensued. Nobody could stop me in the mayhem that your friend was making. And, after that, you know, the other half weren't hard to convince. I can be…persuasive, if you know what I mean. I must admit, you had a good impersonation of David up there. Almost fooled me…but not quite."

Rogue's eyes shot open as the name was uttered from frightened lips. "Zalen."

And he was in front of her, leaning over her. Rogue gasped as his hands grabbed her arms and pushed her back as he seated himself on her legs, pinning her. Rogue struggled, but his grip was impossibly strong. "Struggling will get you nowhere." Still, Rogue tried. Steel manacles popped out of the ground and wrapped themselves around Rogue's wrists and ankles.

Rogue's eyes grew frantic. "What are ya doin'?!" her panicked tone was impossible to miss. Zalen smiled cruelly and rolled off to her side, grabbing her hand and removing her glove.

"I've been thinking; what would be the most hurtful thing that I could do to you to get back revenge for David's death…"

He tore off the glove and dropped it carelessly at her side. Before Rogue could do or say anything, he grabbed her ungloved fingers and squeezed her hand. Rogue shut her eyes tight…and nothing happened. Wincing, she turned her head towards Zalen to see him smiling furiously. "It's great, isn't it? You can touch in your mind, but not physically outside of it. I thought it was a nice touch of irony." Zalen kept her hand tightly gripped in hers and rolled over onto his back, staring at the darkness above them.

"So anyway, I was thinking. What could I do to you that would make you feel the pain I felt when David died? It took me awhile to think of something, but I finally did. I'll tell you my idea, and judging by your reaction—which I can read your thoughts, so don't even bother trying to hide anything—I'll see if it's worth it."

"Zalen, Ah'm sorry what Ah did ta David…Ah never meant ta hurt him. If ya cahn read mah mind, then ya must know that…" Rogue reached out, trying to find some sanity in Zalen.

Zalen turned to her, still tightly gripping her bare hand. "Don't think I don't know your tricks, Marie. This is your mind, you can make me see whatever you want; everything's controlled by you. So maybe you don't entirely know how to work everything, like stopping me from seeing your thoughts, but I know you know the art of deception. I won't be fooled by false images."

He shook his head then looked back at the black expanse that substituted for a sky. "The real David must be in here somewhere…not that mirage you set up in your mind. After I'm finished with you, I'll find him and we'll finally be together again. You won't be able to stop me from taking control…you don't know how to work your mind like I do."

Zalen rolled over again so that he was on top of Rogue. Rogue inhaled sharply as her body stiffened. Zalen didn't appear to notice her reaction to his close proximity. He leaned down over, close to her face. "So this is my idea…since I found out that you can touch in here, and it's really ironic…I was thinking we should have some fun with this little discovery, exploit the possibilities…"

Rogue's breathing grew labored and heavy as Zalen's weight seemed to magnify on her. "Wh-what does that mean?"

Rather than answer, Zalen crushed his lips against hers. His body moved methodically against hers, rubbing against her stiff, petrified frame as he parted her resilient, still lips with his tongue and intrusively entered her mouth. Rogue nearly choked as his tongue began to explore the insides of her mouth, invading her. Tears sprang to her eyes as his hands moved from his sides to her body, exploring her tense frame with no permission or restraint.

It was everything Rogue had dreamed of since the start of her mutation, forced upon her in an aggressive, hostile manner that she did not want. Zalen's intentions were clearly just that; he was taking her one treasured idea, the touch she longed for, and putting it against her in such a way that she'd be scarred forever from his actions.

In resistance, Rogue bit down hard against his tongue and the offending appendage and his lips withdrew from her, but his smile did not soothe her fears, rather, it enhanced them. "Feisty, huh? I like that…" He leaned back down over her, his mouth close to her ear. "Is it all that you dreamed it would be?" His expression was pure evil; tears fell from Rogue's eyes and rolled back into her hair. Her hands balled into fists and she strained against the manacles to no avail, they remained solid, locking her in place.

Zalen's mouth went to her throat where he viciously bit down. His hands returned to their movement against her chest, groping and handling her as if she were a tool. He was aggressive, attacking her just where it hurt most. A whimper escaped Rogue's lips and it only seemed to encourage him further. Rogue tried to buck him off, but his grip on her tightened as his mouth moved to her chin, lapping at her skin hungrily. He murmured to her as his tongue flicked in and out of his mouth, caught between taunting her and enjoying the taste of her flesh. "Someone so ugly inside…" he licked her cheek, his hands ran through her hair, pulling against her so hard that it hurt and drew her head back with his fingers. He drew back only to speak. "…does not deserve to be so beautiful…"

His jeans rubbed against her own and she could feel the hardened bulge scrape against her inner thighs. She sucked in a pained breath and closed her eyes, trying to imagine herself elsewhere, anywhere, just away from him. Zalen chuckled again humorlessly as Rogue's fear washed over him. Her every thought, every pain, every anguished touch rolled over him like a wave, making him redouble his efforts just to hear her mental screams. He was killing her inside and it made him smile.

Help meh! Rogue cried internally, but outwardly, she could say nothing. Zalen began taking off his shirt and Rogue knew what was soon to follow. She tried to think, to cast out her thoughts in a plea for help, to remember anything that would get her out of her situation. The manacles were cutting into her flesh as she tried to rip away. Rogue's eyes fell upon them helplessly, wondering how Zalen had procured them out of nowhere…Rogue's thoughts fell back upon his words. 'You don't know how to control your mind like I do'. What did that mean? Could she stop this from happening? She was the master of her mind, right? She should be able to stop this.

Zalen's shirt was deposited next to him and he grinned wickedly at her. "You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? That you can stop this? You can't. I have control now."


	22. Love

"**Where's John?"** Wanda asked impatiently striding down the long mansion hallway.

"He's out with Remy to save Rogue, why?"

"To save Rogue? What the hell has happened to the girl this time?" Wanda grunted irritably "I swear she can't stay out of trouble for more than a few hours."

"She was kidnapped." Pietro explained.

"Again? That girl has an unhealthy addiction to kidnappings." Wanda shook her head. "Do you know where they went?"

"Sort of."

"Take me there." Wanda commanded.

Pietro hesitated. "Why?"

Wanda glared at him. "Why? It's my last day alive. What do you think? I want to have sex before I die."

Pietro tripped and nearly dropped Wanda. "W-W-W" He stuttered and Wanda rolled her eyes.

"Don't act like such an idiot about it, just take me to him."

"Y-You're a virgin?" Pietro looked utterly stunned.

Wanda glared at him. "When, in my hate-filled, kill-everything, I-hate-the-world life did you ever imagine me getting laid?"

Pietro worked his jaw wordlessly. Wanda slapped him across the face "Earth to Pietro. Take me to John, now."

"But-"

"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you or are you not going to take me? I'll never forgive you if you make me crawl there."

"Wanda, I…" Pietro was at a loss for words.

"I'm going to slap you again." Wanda warned. Still gaping at her, Pietro took off at a run in the direction the guys had gone.

"I'm sorry." Pietro apologized. "I just…I don't know what to say."

Wanda had her eyes shut so they wouldn't deteriorate at the high speed Pietro was traveling. Even so, she managed to look annoyed. "I'm not a slut." Wanda had a strange flashback to the first time she was 'babysitting' Rogue. It made her smile inwardly.

"I know, it's just…you've been with men before, I just assumed…"

"Thanks a lot." Wanda retorted sarcastically.

"I—"

Wanda cut him off. "Stop stuttering and watch where you're going instead of looking at me like that." Wanda added, "Just because my eyes are closed doesn't mean I can't feel your stare."

Pietro did as he was told and lifted his stunned gaze off of Wanda to the road. Wanda, it appeared, wasn't finished though. "Have you ever had sex, Pietro?"

"Uh…" Pietro was a little confused by her fixation on the topic.

Wanda mistook his hesitance. "See, you've never done it either!"

"Yes I have." Pietro protested.

"Really?" Wanda asked sarcastically. "With who?"

"Christine, Petra, Suzanne—"

"You slept with Suzanne?!" Wanda asked, stunned.

"And this surprises you why?" Pietro asked.

Wanda frowned. "Well shut up. You were surprised I was a virgin, now I can't be that you're not?"

"What in the world would have made you think I was a virgin?"  
"What made you think I'm not?"

Pietro gave her an annoyed glance. "Whatever. You can open your eyes now, we're here." As he said it, Pietro righted Wanda so that she stood on her feet, but he still held his arm under her shoulders for support. John turned at their arrival and his face lit up.

"Wanda!"

Remy grinned at her from his position on the ground where Rogue's head rested in his lap. "'Ey _fille, _it's good t' see y'."

John rushed forward and engulfed her in a hug when Pietro reluctantly let go of his sister. "I was so worried I had lost you. He gave you his cure right? And you're all better now? Baby, I'm so proud of you."

"Calm down, I'm not cured."

John pulled back and looked stricken. "It didn't work?"

Wanda shook her head. "I'm not letting him touch me with his medicines."

"You're—" John's face was aghast. "You won't let him give it to you?"

"No." Wanda turned her face away from his, unable to bear his expression. "I need to talk to you, come over here." Limping, with John's help, the two extracted themselves from the rest of the group and went off to discuss alone.

John turned to her as soon as they were out of earshot. "Why won't you take it?"

"There's no hope for me, John. I'm going to die either way. I'd rather spend my last hours doing something I want, not in a hospital bed."

"You don't know that you'll die!" John protested. "I want you to take his cure."

Wanda's jaw tightened. "What is it, one in a billion chance that he's come up with something ingenious? No, John, you can't tell me what to do."

"I won't let you die." John protested. "Not while there's a chance to save you." He bent over and scooped Wanda into his arms. "We're going back to the mansion."

Wanda hit him in the chest to no avail. "No! I'm _not_ taking it!"

John continued walking. "It's not your choice."

"Goddamnit John, it's my life!"

"And there are others that care about you apparently more than you do."

Frustrated, Wanda charged a small hex bomb and exploded it at John's feet. John went down, clutching a suddenly-trembling Wanda close to his chest. John stared down incredulously at Wanda, angry, until he saw her shaking. He clutched her tightly to his chest. "You're so stupid, Wanda."

Wanda waited a minute until the shivering had passed. She breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. "Don't take me back there, John." Her eyes were begging him. "Please."

"How did you even do that? You were shot with a Cure bullet." John shook his head. "Why won't you let me save you, Wanda? Nobody wants to see you die. I don't want to see you die."

"Please." Wanda asked meekly. "I want to spend my last day with you." She moved her hand to his face and traced his jawline with her finger.

"I'm touched by the sentimentalism, but you're acting like a soap-opera character."

Wanda smiled tentatively. "Kiss me, John."

Without saying anything further, John bowed his head down and captured her lips with his own. His touch was gentle and caring; he lifted her head with his hand while her own fingers found their way into his hair. John was caught in the moment. Everything else faded around him except Wanda. She was all that mattered. He would stay in this moment forever with her, that was all he wanted. John trailed kisses down her neck and Wanda gasped pleasurably before she pulled him down beside her.

"Be with me, John."

John glanced around at the field they were in. Tall grasses surrounded them on all sides, cutting off visibility everywhere under three feet. "Right here in the grass?"

"I want you, John."

John's eyes shined as he rolled over to Wanda. His hands braced on either side of her head, John leaned over and kissed again, pushing all his passion and fears into that one kiss, hoping she'd understand him. He pulled back after a moment of absolute bliss. "I want you to promise me that you'll let me take you back."

Wanda tilted her head to the side, away from his gaze. "I can't."

John grabbed her hand in his own. "Yes, you can. Please, Wanda. Even if you don't think it's going to work, I have to try. I'll live forever in guilt of what could have happened if you don't let me take you back. Please."

Wanda bit her lower lip. "I…"

He tightened his grip on her hand. "I know you don't want to Wanda, but please. For me?"

Wanda's lip trembled. "I…"

"I know you're not a coward, Wanda, why won't you let me save you?"

"I'm scared." Wanda admitted, still refusing to look at him.

"I'll be with you. I promise. I'll never let you go, Wanda. I love you." Wanda froze for a moment before she turned her gaze to him, to the sincereity in his eyes and the overwhelming fear he held for her. Without saying another word, Wanda raised her head to kiss his perfect, compassionate lips and together, the two lost themselves in bliss.

--

**Remy patted the seat next to him, indicating for Pietro to sit down. **Pietro plopped down next to him looking miserable as he stared off in the distance. "How is she?" He asked, gesturing towards Rogue.

"Should be fine. Jus' waitin' for Logan now t' make Bobby's temporarily heal permanent." Remy quirked his head to the side. "An' how 'bout y', _homme_?"

"She won't take Hank's medicine." Pietro sighed. "She's got less than a day left." Remy flinched. "What should I do?" Pietro asked rhetorically. "I won't make her take it, but I don't want her to die."

Remy turned his head down to stare at Rogue. "'M sorry, Petey." Pietro sighed deeply and stood up. "Where y' goin'?" Remy asked, somewhat concerned.

"I've never been a religious guy, but it's time to look elsewhere for answers. I'm going to pray." Remy watched him leave until he was only a pinprick in the distance. Swallowing, he turned back to Rogue and ran his fingers through her hair, aware of the fact that he'd just seen Pietro's soul die.

--Inside Rogue's Mind--

**Remy barely avoided a deadly swipe from Logan's claws before he rolled back in a summersault and threw three charged cards at the hound before him.** The cards blew up in front of Logan's chest and threw him back slightly. Logan's chest was already re-knitting itself as he once again jumped to his feet and glared at Remy like an untamed predator. Before he could come at Remy, however, Pyro stumbled into his way and Logan leapt at him.

Remy breathed a sigh of relief as the two mind-washed mutants went at each other with flames and claws. It was ridiculous, really, how the fighting had broken out. Remy didn't truly know what was happening to all the psyches, but something was definitely wrong. Zalen had come into their midst and Logan had gone absolutely crazy after that, attacking each of them, whoever was close enough. Chaos ensued further as everyone else seemed to simultaneously lose their bearings. They had started attacking each other furiously and Remy had been caught in the middle of their squabble. Every one of the psyches had been infected with this rage, everyone except for him.

Still clear of thought, Remy knew he had to remove himself from the brawl. Zalen had left a short while ago and Remy had a bad feeling about what the man had set off to do. He didn't know, per say, Zalen had somehow blocked off his intentions to them, but he knew that it wasn't good. On top of that, he heard a small cry in the back of his mind that sounded dangerously like Rogue.

Trusting his instincts completely, Remy ran from the fray through the dark hallways of the mansion. It was weird and creepy. The mansion lights _never _turned off. The psyches didn't need to sleep because they weren't corporeal beings so Logan had once explained it to him that Rogue had permanently fixed the lights on. It was a convenience, he had told him. Now that no lights were on, Remy's worry increased. Why would they be off? Nothing was making sense.

The small cry in the back of his mind broke out into a sob as Rogue started to cry. Remy's throat tightened as he swung down the banister, trying to find the source of the crying. Where was she? Where was Zalen? He desperately needed to know what was happening. Remy pulled up short as a soulful scream rang through his mind 'Help meh!'. He definitely recognized her voice and her words stopped his heart.

"Rogue?!" He yelled to the empty room around him. "Rogue, I hear y'! Where are y', _fille?_"

Rogue's response was weak and hopeful. Her voice, although not spoken aloud, rang through his head. "Remy?" She asked tentatively, fearful.

"It's me, Roguey, where are y'? What's happenin'?"

"Ah—Ah," Rogue gasped and Remy could feel her body shaking. "Remy, find meh! Help meh, please!"

"Where are y'?" He called out desperately.

"Ah'm in the dark, whe—" she was suddenly cut off and the connection broke. All ties Remy felt with her simultaneously snapped.

"Rogue?" Remy called out, praying for an answer. None came to him. He was alone. Swallowing his fear, Remy set off at a run, trying to think of where Rogue might be. 'In the dark' was just a little vague, but it was all he had to go on. His heart thudding against his chest, Remy sped around the mansion in a blur, futilely trying to find Rogue before it was too late. He had a horrible thought that he might already be too late to save her.

--

"**Thought you could get away with that, did you?"** Zalen sneered down at her. "I told you, there's no escape for you. You're mine." He hit her in the face again and Rogue felt her lip split under the blow. Her jaw throbbed as tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes.

"P-Please." Rogue begged, stammering. "D-Don't do this, please Zalen."

"Pu-pu-pu-please!" Zalen mocked, glaring at her. "You didn't stop with David, did you? At least he didn't beg like a dog." He held out his hand and shoved her chin up to meet his gaze. "You're dirt, and you killed him. I'm going to make you wish you'd never been born."

--

**Remy was frantic. **He was getting nowhere when he needed to be by Rogue, right now. Something awful was happening to her, he was sure of it, and he had to get to her fast before it did. He slammed open another door and peeked inside—to no avail. Rogue was nowhere to be found. Desperate and panicking, Remy slammed the door shut and growled in frustration.

She didn't seem to be anywhere in the mansion at all. The whole mansion was dark, but Remy had a feeling that wasn't what she meant when she tried to tell him where she was. But then, what had she meant? He needed to find out now.

A thought occurred to him. Maybe he could just imagine himself to her? Logan had appeared out of nowhere several times before him. Maybe he could too. Remy closed his eyes and tried to picture Rogue. He envisioned himself appearing next to her and—he opened his eyes and was still at the front door of the mansion. Frustrated beyond belief, Remy lashed out and kicked the door, which splintered on its hinges and fell in slightly. A black abyss of nothingness stretched outside the door.

Remy was about to move on before the sight hit him and he stopped to look out the front door. There was no light, no sound, absolutely nothing. It was like a black hole that stretched on endlessly, almost like all the light had been sucked outside and disappeared completely, sapped into nothing. Curious and wondering if this was maybe what Rogue had meant, Remy stepped outside. Behind him, the mansion instantly disappeared. When Remy turned around, he found himself staring out at a stretch of black as dark as his way forward.

Cursing, Remy started forward at a jog. He tripped over his shoes once and went flying down _through _the ground beneath his feet into a freefall. Wondering what the hell was going on, Remy attempted to stop himself and succeeded after a minute. A moment later, a new solid stretch of blackness spread out under his feet and Remy found himself on solid ground again. "Jesus Christ!" Remy cursed. "How de hell's a _homme _supposed t' find anyone here?" No answer came to him.

In his mind's eye, Rogue was calling to him desperately and he couldn't reach her. He wanted to so badly, but there was no way out of this abyss. "Roguey, please let Remy hear y'. I need t' save y'."

To his utter shock, he heard a far-off cry in the distance. "Roguey?!" Remy cried out. Another scream followed his exclamation and Remy took off in the direction of the shout. As he came closer, the sound grew louder and Remy's heart thudded against his chest heavily. When she finally came into sight, Remy's heart stopped.

Rogue lay chained to the ground, completely naked as she cried fitfully, weakly trying to escape from her chains. Above her, Zalen was shirtless and in the midst of removing his jeans. He nearly had his belt off and was grinning madly, sneering down at Rogue's cries and reveling in her pain. Rage built up inside Remy and amplified so quickly that it was amazing it didn't tear him apart. The heat ran through his veins as anger distorted his features and clouded his eyes. He was out for blood. He would tear Zalen limb from limb for this and there'd be no mercy for him. Letting out a howl that didn't sound remotely human, Remy charged as Zalen threw off his belt to the ground. He hit him low and the two were pitched backwards with Remy's momentum. Remy didn't let the fall faze him as he pulled back his fist and pummeled Zalen with it.

His face bloody, Zalen laughed. "Oh, you pitiful Cajun." Instantly, more chains shot up from the ground and wrapped themselves around Remy's wrists and ankles and pulled him away from Zalen. Zalen stood up smugly and rubbed his hand across his face, effectively smearing the blood and making him look even more grizzly than usual. "You're all pathetic." He spat at Remy, then turned back to Rogue. "Shall we let him watch?"

Rogue's heart dropped in her chest. She had watched Remy approach and tackle Zalen with fleeting hope that Zalen effectively crushed. Now, as he turned back to her, Rogue closed her eyes and swallowed in her humiliation and pain. Tears flowed into her hair from the back of her eyes. Zalen grinned maliciously and licked his lips. Remy stopped struggling against his bonds, but looked at Rogue directly and Rogue heard his voice in her mind.

"_This is _your _mind chere, we all play by your rules. You can free yourself."_

"_Ah tried, Ah can't do it." _Zalen's shadow fell over her. _"Thanks fohr comin' fohr meh, Remy."_

"_Rogue, don't y' dare talk like dis is de end. De only reason y' can't do it is because y've convinced y'self that he's more powerful dan y'. Dis isn't true, y' can free y'self! Y' have t' believe dat y' stronger, chere!"_

A sickly, wet tongue dragged across her side as Zalen crept to the top of her. He dragged his tongue up the length of her side to her neck and then whispered in her ear. "This will hurt, I promise you."

Rogue squeaked as she felt Zalen's body press up against hers. She tried to keep her legs tightly shut, but Zalen overpowered her and shoved her legs apart with his hand as he touched the most private part of her. Rogue let out a sob.

"_ROGUE! STOP HIM! THINK HIM AWAY, THIS IS YOUR MIND!"_ Remy screamed at her.

Rogue squeezed her eyes shut tighter and willed Zalen off of her with everything she possessed. She envisioned a rope catching him around the stomach and pulling him away from her where he couldn't touch her or hurt her. Rogue felt him slide against her inner thigh and screamed in anguish. "Noooo!"

The weight on top of her lifted as did the sensation of Zalen's hands exploring her withdrew. Not daring to breathe, Rogue peeked an eye open and saw, to her complete and utter shock, a lasso had wound around Zalen's stomach and kept him suspended in the air, ten feet above her.

Rogue let out a slow, ragged breath, hardly daring to believe what she saw. Still, there was no denying it. Her desire had come true when she willed it. Looking at her manacles, Rogue willed them to dissolve into dust. Still trying to comprehend it, she was shocked when they did as she wished and dissolved into the black abyss. Rogue squeaked and imagined herself fully clothed. Clothes materialized out of the air and covered her body, making her feel ten times safer, as if she had armor wrapped around her.

Shaking her head, Rogue ran over to Remy who had shut his eyes and was struggling against his bonds. Rogue willed them away and Remy's eyes snapped open. "Rogue!" He shouted, jumping to his feet and embracing her fiercely. "Are y' okay? He didn't get t'…"

"No." Rogue whispered. "He didn't." Rogue felt Remy relax his grip on her as he sighed in relief.

"Dank God." He pulled away suddenly then and looked behind Rogue, spotting Zalen hanging in the air. "'M goin' t' kill y'!" Remy climbed some invisible steps up to Zalen's level and punched him. "Y' piece o' shit!" He hit him again, screaming out his anger as he repetitively beat Zalen.

Rogue was behind him almost instantaneously. She put her hand on his shoulder and held him back. "Remy, don't." Remy turned to her with his eyes wide.

"He deserve it, _chere. _He wouldn't show y' any mercy._"_

Rogue shivered as she thought about what Zalen had almost done to her. "Ah know, but no one deserves ta be shamelessly beaten. Ah'm goin' ta erase his personality from mah mind, that's enough." Remy stared at her as if she were crazy as Rogue bent down to him at eyelevel. Zalen tried to spit at her, but it stopped midair and fell to the ground harmlessly.

"Ah never meant ta harm David." She told him honestly. "Ah'm sorry fohr the pain it caused ya." Without another word, Rogue shut her eyes again and began going through her mind for vestiges of Zalen. One by one, as she came across them, Rogue banished them into oblivion and destroyed all evidence that he had ever entered her mind. When she opened her eyes, Zalen was gone.

Remy scowled. "Dat dirty fu—"

Rogue cut him off as she stood up and kissed him. Remy forgot what he was saying as Rogue willingly held him close to her and sensually ran her lips over his, breathing in his scent and reveling in his person. Rogue pulled back and then smiled at him. "Thank you, Remy."

Remy was delirious with joy even as Rogue disappeared to surface again in her real body and the mansion materialized around him. He sat down and grinned happily, lost in his own ecstasy. It wasn't until someone thumped him hard on the shoulder that Remy returned to his surroundings to see Logan above him, growling down at him. Remy hopped back, half expecting Logan to jump at him, but instead, Logan's mouth twisted into a smile.

"You did good, kid. Thank you for saving her." He offered him a hand to help Remy up. Remy took it and rose to his feet, still grinning deliriously.

"'M glad I could, _homme. _Was scared for a time dere." Logan tapped his shoulder gratefully and turned to go. Remy went to go watch the world as Rogue woke up, anxious to see her well and healed.

_Ah won't ever forget this, Remy._

Remy's grin broadened, he liked the sound of that.

--Back to the Real World--

**The car pulled up to them a half hour later; Logan sprang out of it and shot over to Rogue in a heartbeat, ignoring everyone else around him.** His bare hand pressed down against her forehead and his features took on a strained, agonized look, further shown by the roaring howl that escaped his throat. His veins started to protrude on his face and he paled significantly, but he refused to let go.

Below him, Rogue started to heal. Her abrasions began to close and knit skin atop of her cuts, her bruises faded entirely and her innards re-grew over the temporary ice bandages. Her bones cells reconnected and her lungs were suddenly full of air. Rogue gasped and opened her eyes to see a near-white Logan clutching her arm. Rogue ripped her arm from his weakened grasp and he fell to the side, unconscious. Rogue blinked several times before Remy's familiar face materialized above her.

"'Ello, _chere. _How y' feelin'?"

Rogue sat up and jumped at Remy, clutching him in an all-encompassing hug and pressing her face into his shoulder. "Thank you," she cried, tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much Remy, ya saved meh."

Remy laughed. "Feelin' jubilant today, aren't we?"

He had no idea. In that moment, Rogue absolutely, totally and completely loved him. Not only had he saved her in her mind, he had come looking for her and dragged her out of the metal mesh that the car had become. He had rescued her and stayed with her. "I love you." Rogue hugged him closer to her, afraid of what his reaction to her words might be. Remy didn't even stiffen. He hugged her back and held her in his arms, loving the feeling of having her there. It would be a long time before he let go.


	23. Exposed

**Wanda breathed in deeply before her bated breath released in a ragged exhale. **Sweat beaded on her forehead and dripped back into her hair, but she was unaware of it. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute in her chest. Her fingers lie on the ground, entangled with John's as she stared up at the sky, contemplating.

Beside her, John was also lying on his back, but his head was turned towards her, watching her. Wanda dragged in another long breath before she turned her head to face him. He was so perfect. His light blue eyes were almost crystalline as his gaze fell on her. Wanda smiled at him lightly before averting her eyes to the ground.

John reached out and brushed a lock of hair away from her eyes. "Are you alright, Wanda?"

"Never felt better." She glanced up at him and gave him another shy smile before averting her eyes once more. It was very cute, actually, John had never seen her so coy before. She reminded him of a little innocent kid who just found the cookie jar. John scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her right up against him. He kept his eyes locked on her face, memorized by her.

"You're beautiful, you know."

Wanda glanced up from his chest once more to give him another coy smile. "Thank you, John. I really appreciate it."

"It was no work for me," John chuckled, then his face softened. "But I'm glad I could do this for you." He tightened his grip in her hand and was silent for a few moments, the only noise being their combined breathing.

Wanda's hand tightened around his own after those few moments of peace and her expression grew strained. She opened her mouth once, then shut it, then opened it again and shut it. Alarmed, John sat up and put his other hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright Wanda?"

Wanda's expression didn't relax. "I'm fine, John. I just…"

"Are you having another episode?"

"No, no," Wanda quickly dismissed. "I…can we walk home, John?" John's expression started to fall, so Wanda hurriedly rushed in, trying to convince him. "I honestly feel perfectly fine John—when I said never better, I meant it, and I will take it when we get back, I just…if I start to feel sick at all, you can call Pietro immediately, I promise—I just…I don't want this to end before it has to."

John's expression was torn between sympathy for Wanda and the desire to save her. Wanda pressed on. "Please, John. If it doesn't work then I'm going to die right there on the table. I just want to save my last hour with you."

"Don't say that Wanda, this isn't it." Wanda's face showed that she didn't believe that for a second. John's hand tightened around hers and he shut his eyes momentarily. "Promise that you'll tell me the moment you feel less-than-perfect so I can call Pietro."

"I promise."

John sighed. "We can walk then, as long as you don't feel anything." John got to his feet and pulled up Wanda. He stood a few inches taller than her when they both stood at their full height. John smiled at her warmly. "You should probably get dressed before we go. You might cause a riot with that body."

Wanda rolled her eyes, but was somewhat flattered by the comment. She broke away from John as the two respectively put their clothes back on. When they were both dressed, Wanda turned back to him and John held out his hand for her. It earned him another eyeroll, but Wanda still took it.

"Did everyone else leave already?"

"I'm assuming they did." John replied easily, "They had to wait for Logan to come to cure Rogue, but we've been here for awhile now so they've probably already gone home."

"What happened to Rogue this time? Who kidnapped her?"

"Dunno who he is, really, but seems like he had some grudge against Rogue. While Rogue tried to escape with Bobby and Kitty he shoved her out the window and they landed on the car. Rogue was pretty hurt, but Bobby managed to make an 'ice bandage' over her lung while they waited for Logan. She should be fine now."

Wanda shook her head incredulously. "That girl is a magnet for trouble."

John agreed. "Tell me about it—even before she met all of you guys, she had an unhealthy addiction for nearly dying." John pursed his lips for a moment. "You know about the Liberty Island incident? I mean, what happened in detail?"

"The one when Magneto tried to convert all of New York into mutants by kidnapping a girl and forcing her into a life-sucking machine? Yes, I am familiar with my father's terrorist activities."

"Well, I don't know if you know, but the girl he kidnapped was Rogue."

Wanda's stopped abruptly. "What?"

John stopped with her and looked back to her stunned expression. "It's true. Way back when Rogue first joined the mansion, Mystique morphed into Bobby and tricked her to run away again before Magneto kidnapped her right off the subway to use for his machine."

Wanda worked her jaw for a moment before finding the words. "…but, why? Why would he need her to do it? And—Mystique? As in the Mystique we work for? As in the newest resident of the X-mansion? How in hell did that work out?"

John smiled crookedly. "One question at a time girl, come on." He pulled on her wrist and Wanda started walking again as John began to explain. "Well, Magneto chose to use Rogue to power his machine because he'd have to do it otherwise, which would have killed him. Instead, he transferred his powers to Rogue through his mutation and put her in the hot seat."

Wanda's mouth sneered into a feral snarl. "Sacrificer for mutants, my ass. This was what, two or three years ago? Rogue had to be like sixteen, tops. He was willing to kill off a sixteen year old girl for his cause—the man disgusts me." John silently agreed with her. When the silence following her comment had gone on for several seconds, she cast a sideways glance at John. "Well? What else? Answer the questions." She demanded.

John chuckled and Wanda raised a skeptical, high eyebrow at him. "Sorry." He apologized. "I was just thinkin' that authoritarian Wanda is back." At her continued skepticism and glare, he quickly went on. "Anyway, Mystique joining the team is somewhat of a mystery to me. From what I know, she's probably doing it as revenge against Magneto."

"Go on…" Wanda urged.

"Well, you know when I was with Magneto?"

"We _are _going to talk about that too." Wanda interrupted.

John seemed somewhat intimidated, but he went on. "Well anyways, when I was with Magneto, Mystique used to be on the team too. That woman has put in a lot more hours than me too—as far as I know, she's been with him since she was just a kid. Either way, we were releasing these powerful, prisoner mutants to rally up on Magneto's squad when this cop shot a cure bullet at Magneto. Basically, Mystique took the bullet for him and he left her alone and naked in the back of the prison truck afterwards because he said that she was no longer one of us."

Wanda didn't look surprised. "Betrayal, corrupt, turns his back on those who trust him—sounds like him. So what's her deal with the X-Men?"

John shrugged. "I don't know why she wants to join, other than for the sake of revenge, but that's why she scoped out the mansion as a target for us. She figured if she could take away the X-Men's revenue, they'd let her join the team because her money would be needed. So really, she just kind of bought her way onto the team."

Wanda's forehead was creased in concentration. John nudged her. "What're you thinking about?"

Wanda's face held her thoughtful look. "You can't think of any other reason for Mystique to join the X-men besides revenge?"

John shrugged. "Nope. She doesn't share any of their ideals or anything. I figure she's just looking to join the X-Men so they can lead her to Magneto where she can exact her revenge against him. Without the X-Men, all her other sources are sapped dry. Besides us, at least."

Wanda's brow creased further. "Does Mystique know that I'm Magneto's daughter and Pietro is his son?"

"She probably does. I'm assuming she recognizes the name 'Maximoff'. When her and Magneto worked together the two were tight—I almost thought in a relationship—and she knew…" John began to trail off as a memory hit him.

_Another body joined the hallway and collided into them both, throwing all three persons to the ground. Pietro was on his feet again before anyone could blink, staring down at them. "Where is she?"_

_"That's what we'd like to know." John stated wryly._

_Pietro's jaw tightened. "What does that mean?"_

_"De fille is missin'."_

_"What?" Pietro exploded. "How the hell did you lose her? She's in danger! Mystique's trying to kill her to get revenge!"_

John smacked himself in the forehead. "Holy shit!"

"Do you think she…?" Wanda started.

"She shot you with the Cure bullet!" John exclaimed wildly. "It's Mystique's ultimate revenge—she's going after Magneto's kids!"

"Pietro!" Wanda blurted, fumbling with her pocket to grab her phone. "We have to warn him!"

----

**Tears were streaming down Pietro's face as he knelt in the abandoned church, facing a crucifix. **"Please-please let her live, God. I know nothing comes for free and everything has a price—so take whatever you want—take me instead! Anything! Just don't let her die." Pietro coughed violently. "It's not fair!" Pietro broke down into sobs as his body shook with heart-felt agony. Nothing would change, he knew that, and he was so through trying. He had exhausted every avenue. There was nothing he could do to save her.

Pietro had thought he had prepared himself for this, but he'd just been fooling himself. He had always pushed the thought back. Every time Wanda came back from one of her episodes, Pietro had hoped and wished that it would be the last. That maybe, just maybe, her disease would exhaust and die out itself. Reality was much harsher than any of his dreams and the time of Wanda's demise was upon him. He had no reason to continue living after Wanda left.

Pietro's life was filled with empty promises, betrayal, closed friendships and distance from everybody. That part of Wanda had rubbed off on him. He wasn't as outwardly cold or weary as her, but he didn't find joy in anything. It had been a long time since Pietro had genuinely smiled last, almost as long as Wanda, before they ran into Rogue, but now that was ending. Pietro had no intention of continuing his miserable existence once Wanda had left it.

Pietro angrily pushed to his feet and glared at the altar before him. There was no God, no God would be cruel enough to watch his own creation writhe in such misery. Where was Wanda's justice? Did she not deserve the chance to live out a normal life? Didn't every mutant? Especially her, because life had been especially cruel to her. But no, life wasn't fair and good people didn't always get what they deserved.

"It's not fair, damnit!" Pietro shouted. With that, he grabbed the first thing his fingers grasped—which turned out to be his cell phone—and chucked it at the altar. The small piece of technology shattered into pieces when it hit the solid wooden base and scattered all over the floor. Without looking back, he turned around and raced out of the church.

----

**Mystique watched the boy rush out of the church and start to disappear into the distance. **She revved the car and raced after him, but he was much faster. Within seconds he was only a pinprick in the distance, but luck seemed to be with her because when he reached the edge of the park's clearing, he collapsed against the base of a bench underneath a large weeping willow tree. Mystique smiled to herself as she parked the car far down the street to the park and morphed into Wanda.

Carefully, with great deliberation and caution, Mystique approached Pietro and sat down on the ground next to him. She laid her hand on top of his and waited for him to run his sleeve over his eyes before he turned his head to the ground, unable to look at her. "I failed you." Pietro's heart was sickened with guilt. "I failed…t-to protect you. And now…"

"Shhhh," Mystique whispered, scooting closer to Pietro and drawing him into a hug.

Pietro's mind momentarily soared. Wanda had not hugged him since they were little kids. She didn't believe in gaining support from other people. And here she was, observing him in one of his weakest moments to her, clutching him to her body as if she were scared, as if she were equally as afraid as he was. He knew it was a lie, that Wanda didn't fear death and had taken steps to overcome this already, but it didn't make it any easier on him. Wanda might be ready, but he was not.

"I don't want to see you die." Pietro moaned, muffled by Wanda's shoulder.

Mystique nodded. "I know." After giving him a few moments, Mystique pulled away and looked deep into Pietro's eyes. "Come with me. I have something to give to you before it happens."

Pietro sniffed and rubbed his eyes on his jacket sleeve again. He started to follow her, but then stopped, causing her to halt as well. "Wanda…"

"Pietro?"

"I love you, you know."  
"I know, Pietro." Mystique replied gently.

"And I'm sorry for it all…everything you've had to go through, always braving it though…I wish I could take your place. Life is so unfair."

"Shhhh," Mystique hushed. "It's okay, it's going to be alright, Pietro. I promise."

It was the biggest lie he had ever heard. Pietro let Mystique tug him away to the car and help him into the backseat. He rubbed at his eyes again and when he looked up, he was surprised to see Wanda climbing into the back with him.

"Wanda, what—"

"Shhhh," Mystique hushed. With that, she turned around quickly and a sharp pain pierced his arm.

"Ow—what?!" Wanda started to fade before him, and instead, a blue woman with scales and yellow eyes took form. Pietro's vision started to fuzz as he comprehended what was happening to him. "No!" Pietro struggled, desperate to get away. He had to find Wanda. He had to tell her goodbye—this blue bitch, Mystique, was taking away his last moments that he would ever have with her. He fought with all his strength, but the drug was too powerful. In seconds, he lay limply sprawled against the backseat. Mystique smiled lightly before hopping up to the front and driving away.

----

"**Ah swear Ah'm fahne, Hank, ya cahn let meh go now."**

Hank frowned. "What is with today's youth trying to escape from me so much? I still have to check your vitals, Rogue, if you'd please stay with me long enough to do that. I only want to help."

Rogue sighed, half in resignation, half in irritation. "Ah'm sorry Hank, Ah'm just impatient and the Logan in meh is drivin' meh away from the hospital as quick as Ah cahn go."

Hank began preparing a needle to draw some blood. "That's certainly understandable." He wiped the crook of her arm with a wet swab. "Hold still for a moment, this'll sting."

Rogue held still as Hank pushed the needle into her arm and pulled back the stopper to draw blood into the container. Rogue sighed forlornly as she watched Storm busy herself around Logan's prone body. Storm was no physician, but all of the X-Men had elementary first aid skills. She was giving Logan the best care as she saw fit, although there was little to do in the case of Logan. His healing factor would take care of him. Rogue only hoped he woke up soon; she was feeling slightly guilty that Logan always took care of her like this.

Remy had momentarily left the room to seek out Bella and update Henri and Bella on the recent events and current conditions of everybody. After Kitty's ankle had been stinted and wrapped, Hank had left the third examination room to look after Risty, Rogue and Logan. Bobby and Kitty still needed attention, but now that Hank had fixed the primary problem, he wanted to check and make sure the others were alright. Risty was sitting on the table opposite of Rogue, tortured with the same medical treatments that Rogue was receiving.

Risty was lost in a whole different level of pain than the rest of them. She hadn't stopped crying since Taliz's death and she remained deathly quiet. Although her sniffles were rare and silent, each one felt like a jarring stab when she made a noise. The poor girl was tortured. She sat staring, her eyes vacant and not seeing, at the door to the adjoining hospital room where they had placed Taliz's body and strapped down Zalen's unconscious form.

Rogue felt responsible. Although Taliz had been the one to initiate the conquest for her blood, it was Rogue's fault that anything even went that far. If she had just let go of David a little sooner…maybe none of this would have happened at all. Rogue sighed deeply and bit her lower lip as Hank left the room to test her blood in the other lab.

There was silence, except for the minute ministrations Storm was giving to Logan. Rogue cleared her throat. "Are you alright, Risty?"

At first, Rogue didn't think the girl even heard her. Her dark brown eyes remained blank and unregistering. She looked too lost in thought to be comprehending anything, really. Rogue was surprised then, when Risty turned her head down and answered lowly. "I'm okay."

Her voice was squeaky and it was obvious that she was lying. The silent tears that fell down her cheeks were proof of such. Rogue swallowed thickly before speaking again, trying to help the overwhelmed girl. "Risty…" she started, not really knowing where she was going with it herself. "Ah'm sorry fohr causin' this. Ah know how much you loved Taliz." Rogue mentally berated herself, sure that was not the right thing to say in such a situation.

Risty's head shot up at her words. "You think I blame you?" Risty shook her head vigorously. "No, Rogue, what happened is not your fault. _I _should have stopped him before he went that far. I'm sorry that you had to be caught in the middle of this…it almost killed you." She sniffed and wiped at her eyes again. "I deserve this—Taliz was mislead, but he probably did too. I only wish it could have…" she trailed off.

"No, Risty, it's not Taliz's fault. He didn't know I hadn't intentionally killed David." Rogue winced at the words. "He was as much a victim as any of us."

Risty made an odd, hiccup noise that could have been a laugh. "It's nice of you to try to tone it down for me, Rogue, but I know it was Taliz own doings that changed him into a vengeance-seeking monster." Risty shook her head. "I could have stopped him, begged him to run away with me. He would have listened…now it's too late."

There was nothing Rogue could say that would make things better. Whatever words were spoken, Taliz would still be dead and the undeserving Zalen would still live. Life was unfair. Rogue stood up off her medical table and went over to Risty to hug her, trying to provide as much comfort as she could for the stricken girl.

----

"**It's not even ringing! **It immediately goes to his voicemail!" Wanda drew in a breath sharply. "What if she already got to him?"

"Shhhh," John hushed. "Calm down, Wanda. Pietro's more than capable of holding his own, you know that."

It didn't seem to calm Wanda at all. "I'm well aware of that! What if she shot him with a Cure bullet? –He can't possibly win against her without his mutation!"

John hadn't considered that, but it was a likely possibility. Not to mention, Mystique's ability made her the perfect trap. She could lure Pietro in as anyone she wanted, even Wanda herself. John didn't voice his worries to Wanda, she was too hyped already, but instead he calmly withdrew his own cell phone and began punching in the mansion's number. Someone picked up after the third ring.

"_Bonjour!_ How can de establishment help y'?" He sounded awfully cheerful. Rogue must have turned out alright, John assumed.

"Remy it's me, cut the crap, this is serious. I need to know if Pietro is at the mansion with you guys."

"Y' sound frantic, Johnny, what's wrong?" Remy paused in a moment of seriousness. "Is Wanda alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine right now. Remy, tell me, is Pietro there?"

"_Non,_ he's not. Remy hasn't seen him since he ran off after droppin' Wanda off. What's wrong?"

"Shit! Remy, we know who shot Wanda! It's Mystique—she's been orchestrating this whole thing. She's out for revenge against Magneto and she's taking it out on his kids. We have to find Pietro, fast!"

"_Merde!_" Remy exclaimed with fervor, "Remy goin' t' inform de X-guys. Do y' need a pickup?"

"That'd be appreciated."

"Be dere as soon as fast as lightnin'." The phone went dead and John pocketed his cell. "They're on their way to get us and Remy's informing Storm of the situation."

-----

**Remy burst through the infirmity doors with a shout. **"Stormy!"

Alarmed, Ororo turned away from the unconscious Logan and both Risty and Rogue turned to Remy. Remy rushed in and pulled up short, catching his breath before he continued. "Stormy! Dis is important. Do y' know where Mystique is?"

"Whatever's wrong, Remy?"

Remy took in another great breath. "It's time Remy made some confessions, Stormy." Remy glanced at Rogue before he rushed on. "Remy's been workin' for Mystique. She's de one who hired us t' rob de mansion." Remy rushed on when he saw Ororo's stricken look. He couldn't bring himself to look Rogue in the eye. "It's true dat Mystique only joined de X-Men t' get revenge on Magneto. In order t' do dat, she hired us t' make her position for joinin' more applicable."

Ororo urged him on. "Well, yes Remy? Tell us what's happened."

"Don' y' see, Stormy?! Mystique was de one t' shoot Wanda with de Cure bullet! She found out dat Wanda an' Pietro were Magneto's kids—now she's takin' out revenge on 'em! Pietro's in danger!" Remy took another great breath. "We need t' find Pietro an' Mystique. Do y' have any way of trackin' dem down? Wanda needs t' be picked up too."

Ororo was overwhelmed. They had just gone through a crisis at the mansion that had left many of her students injured and scarred for life, to have to deal with something like this directly after was just cruel. She didn't even have the staff for it. The only adults left were her and Hank, and Hank still needed to tend to his patients. Half of the X-Men were down from the last rescue and she was desperately short on resources. Not only that, but she had no immediate psychics on hand to scan the area for Pietro and Mystique. "Do you know where Wanda is, at least, Remy?"

Remy nodded. "She's out at de field dat we left with Johnny."

Ororo sighed in exasperation. "What is she doing there?! We left hours ago!"

Remy chuckled slightly. "De activities dose two were plannin' didn' belong in a van with other people."

Ororo didn't share his humor. "We're short on staff—Remy, I need you to ask Henri and Bella to pick them up, please." Remy nodded.

"What about Pietro?"

"I need to make a phone call to a friend to try to locate them. Get suited up with Rogue and Bobby, we're leaving as soon as I get their location."

"What about de other X-Men?"

Ororo glanced at the adjoining door where Hank, Kitty, and Bobby were. "Hank has patients to care for and no one else is well enough for this task. We'll have to make do with what we have. I have to go make that call."

Remy nodded again. "Gotcha Stormy, we be ready t' go in minutes."

"I'm counting on you, Remy." Ororo left without another word to head for her office. Remy cast one lasting glance at Rogue's stunned expression before he disappeared to talk to Henri and Bella.

Numb slightly, Rogue hopped off the medical table and went to explain to Bobby what was happening. It was becoming a hell of a long day.


End file.
